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The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching
“Coach taught me the game. . . . He's like a second father to me.” —Michael Jordan
“Dean Smith epitomizes what a coach can be-teacher, counselor, mentor, example, friend.” —Bill Bradley
“He's a better coach of basketball than anyone else.” —John Wooden
For forty years, Dean Smith coached the University of North Carolina basketball team with unsurpassed success. Now, in The Carolina Way , he explains his coaching philosophy and shows readers how to apply it to the leadership and team-building challenges they face in their own lives. In his wry, sensible, wise way, Coach Smith takes us through every aspect of his program, illustrating his insights with vivid stories. Accompanying each of Coach Smith’s major points is a “Player Perspective” from a former North Carolina basketball star and an in-depth “Business Perspective” from Gerald D. Bell, a world-renowned leadership consultant and a professor at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. The keystones of Coach Smith’s coaching philosophy are widely applicable and centrally relevant to building successful teams of any kind.
“Dean Smith epitomizes what a coach can be-teacher, counselor, mentor, example, friend.” —Bill Bradley
“He's a better coach of basketball than anyone else.” —John Wooden
For forty years, Dean Smith coached the University of North Carolina basketball team with unsurpassed success. Now, in The Carolina Way , he explains his coaching philosophy and shows readers how to apply it to the leadership and team-building challenges they face in their own lives. In his wry, sensible, wise way, Coach Smith takes us through every aspect of his program, illustrating his insights with vivid stories. Accompanying each of Coach Smith’s major points is a “Player Perspective” from a former North Carolina basketball star and an in-depth “Business Perspective” from Gerald D. Bell, a world-renowned leadership consultant and a professor at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. The keystones of Coach Smith’s coaching philosophy are widely applicable and centrally relevant to building successful teams of any kind.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 21, 2008
In teaching our players, I tried to concentrate on the process rather than the result. If think that’s the best way to teach. If a coach starts out on the first day of practice talking about winning, that approach can actually get in the way of winning.
Thorough preparation does wonders for one’s confidence. We tried to put our players through every situation in practice that they might encounter in a game.
During the season, everything for the team; out of season, everything for the individual.
We believed in following a process instead of dwelling on winning or worrying about the consequences.
The best leaders in any profession care about the people they lead, and the people they lead know when the caring is genuine, faked, or absent.
Play hard, play smart, play together
Thorough preparation does wonders for one’s confidence. We tried to put our players through every situation in practice that they might encounter in a game.
During the season, everything for the team; out of season, everything for the individual.
We believed in following a process instead of dwelling on winning or worrying about the consequences.
The best leaders in any profession care about the people they lead, and the people they lead know when the caring is genuine, faked, or absent.
Play hard, play smart, play together
February 26, 2018
This book wax great! The theme has to be that you wont get anywhere in life without and good work ethic!
November 20, 2024
I want to start this off with: I don't play sports, I don't watch sports, but I have an attraction to great coaches and how they think. I believe it has a lot of application to success in life and business.
That said, I learned about this book googling Gerald Bell of Bell Laboratories, he adds a little business perspective to each chapter. I like Dean Smith's message over his coaching career and his values are inspiring. Focus on how you play and being a good citizen/teammate, and success will follow. Winning alone is not enough. They also included little bits from his former players in every chapter, and they were lovely comments especially for a non-sports enthusiast.
Two editing comments.... they used the same story several times. Like, I get it, you didn't lose a lot... but the stories were repeated in multiple chapters. His big saying is to "Play Hard; Play Together; Play Smart", but they literally could not decide on the official order of the three and kept changing the last two and it drove me absolutely insane. If it's a catchphrase, make it consistent.
But, this is a great book for more than just Ballers.
That said, I learned about this book googling Gerald Bell of Bell Laboratories, he adds a little business perspective to each chapter. I like Dean Smith's message over his coaching career and his values are inspiring. Focus on how you play and being a good citizen/teammate, and success will follow. Winning alone is not enough. They also included little bits from his former players in every chapter, and they were lovely comments especially for a non-sports enthusiast.
Two editing comments.... they used the same story several times. Like, I get it, you didn't lose a lot... but the stories were repeated in multiple chapters. His big saying is to "Play Hard; Play Together; Play Smart", but they literally could not decide on the official order of the three and kept changing the last two and it drove me absolutely insane. If it's a catchphrase, make it consistent.
But, this is a great book for more than just Ballers.
December 30, 2017
I really liked this book. Every leader can learn from a man like Dean Smith, and this book provides excellent leadership principles as well as concrete examples of how Coach Smith implemented these ideas into his basketball program at the University of North Carolina. Each chapter is divided into three sections: 1 - Coach Smith's discussion of the principle and how it played out in his basketball program, 2 - A player perspective, echoing the principle and how the player recalled it from his time at Carolina, 3 - A business perspective (I wasn't as crazy about these sections as I was about the other 2). This was an easy book to read, very enjoyable. I learned some things and new ideas, and I benefitted from reading it.
June 28, 2020
It is hard to realize That so many young people today will not come to know the true leadership of Dean Smith. What an amazing man, teacher, and coach. This book just hits on the highlights of who he was. I wish more of us could find and build a bit of the Carolina Way in ourselves. A truly great man, a truly great coach with an amazing dream for all people.
June 14, 2022
I have always admired Coach Smith for the accomplishments of the Tar Heels on the basketball court. However, this book provided insight into the man himself, and his approach to leading the young men of North Carolina basketball. I found words of valuable wisdom in each chapter of this book, information that is relevant and applicable to both my personal and professional life.
October 25, 2023
Good organization of how Dean Smith was able to build a dynasty at UNC, from his perspective, the players and how it can be applied to business. Overall interesting advice. I just doubt it, that he told his players ever, it's not about the score but about the teamwork. That kind of felt far fetched. But a nicely organized book.
December 12, 2017
I was surprised at how average this book was. There is so much storied history in that program and so much success, but there is way too much comparing running a college basketball team to running a business.
May 1, 2019
I liked this book a lot, but could have gone without the business perspective, as I was reading due to my interest in sports not business. Appreciated the perspective on coaching and on-court strategy.
January 10, 2021
As a coach and a leader, there are few people better the emulate than Coach Smith. He does an incredible job of sharing his collection of experience and wisdom in this book. If you’re a coach or in any leadership role, this book is a must read.
June 3, 2019
Probably the best self help/motivational book I've read yet. Information was actually helpful and inspiring.
January 27, 2025
Outstanding read. Teaches how to lead effectively.
March 22, 2025
Coach Smith does an amazing job talking about leadership and life lessons as a coach. A really good read for anyone wanting to coach basketball.
August 8, 2014
Every chapter in the book features an historical snippet or principle from Smith (read by Smith himself), then a recollection by a former player, and then an application of the principle to business by a guy with a doctorate in business administration.
Up until now, I’ve always hated Carolina basketball and Dean Smith. I disliked that he broke Adolph Rupp’s all-time winning record. I thought he was overrated, all of those years but only 2 NCAA Championships to his name. My parents told me the stories of how he would beat the old UK teams with his “4-corners” offense. “Stall ball,” and how all of Memorial Coliseum would boo him for just dribbling out the clock.
Perhaps I’d also always been a little jealous of Carolina. They have much a much more star-studded alumni list than Kentucky…
1995 was the most crucial year in my memory. Rasheed Wallace threw Andre Riddick against a goal post, and all the world remembers is the choke hold that Riddick put on Wallace a couple plays later (Carolina came back and won an ugly game in the 2nd half). From what I understood, Smith had told the players to play rough, because Kentucky was intimidated by rough play. “Dirty,” I thought.
What I didn’t know until I read this book was that Wallace and the entire UNC team ran laps in practice because of his technical fouls. That was Smith’s rule that he kept all through his tenure: If someone gets a technical foul, the whole team runs in practice. No exceptions.
If someone simply cursed in practice, the whole team ran. Dean Smith has morals, no exceptions.
Dean Smith was very driven to win, but also was innovative. He recruited guys that respected their coaches and families. He graduated over 90% of his players, with something like 50%+ going on to graduate school. He never had an NCAA investigation or infraction.
His teams beat Duke (they seem to be having a hard time doing that these days).
He explains in the book how he designed the “4-Corners” offense and why many people remember it only as “stall ball” or cheating. He and his players preferred to run, and press. He found the 4-corners the best way to keep the lead late in the game, and teams definitely weren’t able to stop it. The shot clock stopped it, when it was introduced, and he preferred that because he preferred to run and score quickly.
Charles Scott, the first black ACC player, tells a story of how UNC came to Lexington in '68 and beat a hostile UK team, not by the 4-corners, but by stopping UK's offense. Rupp ran the same play over and over, and wouldn't change his plan. UNC had already scouted and prepared for it, and thus stifled UK's offense.
Smith was a pioneer in recruiting Scott. On his recruiting visit to Chapel Hill, Smith took Scott to his own all-white church. This meant a lot to him as a black athlete.
He adapted his methods with each team, and often changed strategies to fit each team.
Former Carolina players come back and contribute to the program. They help run summer scrimmages, and many have become coaches themselves. They don’t get into scandals.
The faculty highly praised and gave Dean Smith awards themselves. Many are quoted as saying he was one of the best teachers on campus. They liked the positive attention he brought the school, and the fact that the students were had such a high graduate and post-graduate success rate. You don’t see that mutual admiration from coaches and professors at many colleges today.
The Carolina Way of coaching and practicing has influenced a lot of teams. The continuity of Smith’s program carries over to the style they play today, and his players have become some of the best coaches in basketball. Guys like Felton, May, & McCants stuck around because they wanted to get UNC back on top and keep the tradition alive.
The book changed a lot of my thinking about Smith, and definitely increased my respect for him and his program. I misjudged him.
Up until now, I’ve always hated Carolina basketball and Dean Smith. I disliked that he broke Adolph Rupp’s all-time winning record. I thought he was overrated, all of those years but only 2 NCAA Championships to his name. My parents told me the stories of how he would beat the old UK teams with his “4-corners” offense. “Stall ball,” and how all of Memorial Coliseum would boo him for just dribbling out the clock.
Perhaps I’d also always been a little jealous of Carolina. They have much a much more star-studded alumni list than Kentucky…
1995 was the most crucial year in my memory. Rasheed Wallace threw Andre Riddick against a goal post, and all the world remembers is the choke hold that Riddick put on Wallace a couple plays later (Carolina came back and won an ugly game in the 2nd half). From what I understood, Smith had told the players to play rough, because Kentucky was intimidated by rough play. “Dirty,” I thought.
What I didn’t know until I read this book was that Wallace and the entire UNC team ran laps in practice because of his technical fouls. That was Smith’s rule that he kept all through his tenure: If someone gets a technical foul, the whole team runs in practice. No exceptions.
If someone simply cursed in practice, the whole team ran. Dean Smith has morals, no exceptions.
Dean Smith was very driven to win, but also was innovative. He recruited guys that respected their coaches and families. He graduated over 90% of his players, with something like 50%+ going on to graduate school. He never had an NCAA investigation or infraction.
His teams beat Duke (they seem to be having a hard time doing that these days).
He explains in the book how he designed the “4-Corners” offense and why many people remember it only as “stall ball” or cheating. He and his players preferred to run, and press. He found the 4-corners the best way to keep the lead late in the game, and teams definitely weren’t able to stop it. The shot clock stopped it, when it was introduced, and he preferred that because he preferred to run and score quickly.
Charles Scott, the first black ACC player, tells a story of how UNC came to Lexington in '68 and beat a hostile UK team, not by the 4-corners, but by stopping UK's offense. Rupp ran the same play over and over, and wouldn't change his plan. UNC had already scouted and prepared for it, and thus stifled UK's offense.
Smith was a pioneer in recruiting Scott. On his recruiting visit to Chapel Hill, Smith took Scott to his own all-white church. This meant a lot to him as a black athlete.
He adapted his methods with each team, and often changed strategies to fit each team.
Former Carolina players come back and contribute to the program. They help run summer scrimmages, and many have become coaches themselves. They don’t get into scandals.
The faculty highly praised and gave Dean Smith awards themselves. Many are quoted as saying he was one of the best teachers on campus. They liked the positive attention he brought the school, and the fact that the students were had such a high graduate and post-graduate success rate. You don’t see that mutual admiration from coaches and professors at many colleges today.
The Carolina Way of coaching and practicing has influenced a lot of teams. The continuity of Smith’s program carries over to the style they play today, and his players have become some of the best coaches in basketball. Guys like Felton, May, & McCants stuck around because they wanted to get UNC back on top and keep the tradition alive.
The book changed a lot of my thinking about Smith, and definitely increased my respect for him and his program. I misjudged him.
May 26, 2024
One of the best leadership books I've ever read, and I've read several.
I especially loved the layout of this one, as each chapter begins with Coach Smith's thoughts, then there are some additional testimonials from Smith's former players, and finally a chapter-closing vignette about how Coach Smith's philosophy of management and building relationships can be applied to the business world.
I've always been a huge baseball fan and college football fan. I've never aspired to be a competitive basketball player, and I usually only watch NCAA basketball during the tournament. However, reading this book makes me wish I could have played for Dean Smith. What an era of college basketball!
Near the end of the book, co-author Gerald Bell says, "Those who long for the good old days or believe things have gone downhill since then typically have quit living in the present and have given up on their tomorrow. Remember, what happens today will become somebody else's good old days in 20-30 yrs." I hope those players who were lucky enough to play for Coach Smith knew that those years on that team really were the good old days. (I think they did.)
I especially loved the layout of this one, as each chapter begins with Coach Smith's thoughts, then there are some additional testimonials from Smith's former players, and finally a chapter-closing vignette about how Coach Smith's philosophy of management and building relationships can be applied to the business world.
I've always been a huge baseball fan and college football fan. I've never aspired to be a competitive basketball player, and I usually only watch NCAA basketball during the tournament. However, reading this book makes me wish I could have played for Dean Smith. What an era of college basketball!
Near the end of the book, co-author Gerald Bell says, "Those who long for the good old days or believe things have gone downhill since then typically have quit living in the present and have given up on their tomorrow. Remember, what happens today will become somebody else's good old days in 20-30 yrs." I hope those players who were lucky enough to play for Coach Smith knew that those years on that team really were the good old days. (I think they did.)
August 26, 2012
I read the leadership books of three of the world's greatest basketball coaches this summer and this one might be my favorite. Both John Wooden and Mike Krzyzewski wrote fantastic books, both of which I heartily recommend to others, but Smith worked in conjunction with a business professor who put what Smith had to say about coaching into a business context. The chapter on team building for example, includes philosophy from Smith and some illustrative basketball stories, then ends with an essay by North Carolina Business Professor Gerald Bell who describes common business applications for team building, including stories from his experience in business consulting. Each chapter is constructed this way, tying each idea up nicely. This was a brilliant idea for a book executed with wisdom and care.
December 27, 2010
Obviously Coach Smith had one of the most solid programs in college basketball so he has a lot to offer in insight and wisdom. There were many points I took away from his knowledge and I always love that learning piece.
I didn't care for the application to the business perspective; I felt people are smart enough to transfer the points across situations. Also, most people know Smith's program was a top-notch, winning program, so please don't remind me repeatedly in every chapter. I get the point.
I didn't care for the application to the business perspective; I felt people are smart enough to transfer the points across situations. Also, most people know Smith's program was a top-notch, winning program, so please don't remind me repeatedly in every chapter. I get the point.
July 16, 2011
I was worried when I started The Carolina Way that Coach Smith's not-so-dynamic reading style might kill my interest. I'm thrilled that I was wrong. The book's format of Smith philosophy => Player reflection => Business tie-in hooked me. Dean Smith inspires me want to be a better leader and person and the CEO metaphors gave me a lot of practical ideas for implementing the ideas as a teacher and administrator.
August 9, 2022
Enjoyed the book and the application of Dean Smith's basketball coaching principles to business. Not a book I would have picked up myself, but appreciated that I got it from a good friend. Took me awhile to get through it, but was generally interesting. Dean Smith really emphasized the team over the individual, which paid dividends throughout his coaching career.
Read
June 27, 2008A former Topeka resident and KU grad, Dean Smith has always been one of my favorite coaches and is highly successful. This book really has good advice and coaching qualities that I think are very important if you want to establish and maintain a long career
February 18, 2010
A book that inspires you to take charge, work hard, and set goals in your life. Does a great job of relating sports team lessons to real life business/work lessons. A bit repetitive, but a quick read.
September 8, 2014
I don't coach basketball (or really know anything about it), but I found Dean Smith's style, attitude, and advice to be content neutral. The weakness of this book was the "business application" sections — they were often obvious and not nearly as illuminating as Coach Smith's sections.
March 9, 2015
The Carolina Way isn't the only way, that's for certain. But playing hard, playing smart, playing together certainly worked well for us. Our trophy case is full, but far more important, our Museum of Good Memories runneth over. Page 323
January 29, 2008
One of the best coaching books I have read. Real practical stuff.
February 27, 2009
Must if you are a real Carolina Fan! Dean Smith is awesome!
March 20, 2009
One of the best I've read in the last 10 years! Super for anyone looking for an authentic account of coaching and leadership.
October 6, 2009
Great book. The "business" chapters interspersed with the coaching chapters are pretty stupid. The Dean Smith stuff is golden.
January 2, 2012
Didn't realy like it. Couldn't read till the end. Maybe next time.
March 30, 2013
A must-read autobiograpy on leadership for knowledge workers, managers, directors, C-levels, and entrepreneurs.
June 20, 2013
A great book. As a coach of youth sports this is a great map for coaches that care about character and development first.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews