#22: John Calipari, University of Kentucky Head Basketball Coach—Care About Your People

How Leaders Lead with David Novak

Today’s guest is John Calipari, head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky. Yes, the legendary Coach Cal! 

I gotta tell you, if you’re listening to this podcast first thing in the morning, you can just skip the coffee. Coach Cal will get you fired up with just his passion and energy alone. 

But you know, there’s something even more powerful behind that enthusiasm – and that’s how much Coach Cal cares for his players. 

He is always pushing his guys to improve. He knows how to relate to each guy to draw out their best. He is a master at framing up a big goal, and you can see, in every decision, he is putting his players and their families first. 

It’s the foundation of every season, and it comes before the tactics and strategies. It’s a huge reason his teams continually do well, and it’s placed Coach Cal in the pantheon of college coaching legends.

When we truly care about our people – and they know that we truly care – good things happen. 

You’ll also learn:

  • How to take risks to improve even when things are working (fun note: it involves the story of the dribble-drive offense)
  • Secrets of his legendary recruiting skills
  • His process for helping tap into each player’s individual strengths
  • The power of setting one big single goal (and why other good results tend to follow when you do)
  • The one defining trait of leadership he strives to teach his players

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