By Basketball Sense, www.basketballsense.com

As college basketball fans rush to buy Mike Krzyzewski’s new book, Five-Point Play, let’s look at some pearls from his first book, Leading With The Heart:

Too many rules get in the way of leadership. Preserve the latitude to lead.

A real winning attitude is about standards of excellence, which are variable from year to year and from team to team. Being the best you can be, and doing he best you can, are the constants.

If you’re always striving to achieve success that is defined by someone else, you’ll always be frustrated. Define your own success.

Whatever a leader does now sets up what he does later. And there is always a later.

Success is a matter of preparing to win.

Goals should be realistic, attainable, and shared among all members of the team.

Never set a goal that involves number of wins— never. Set goals that revolve around playing together as a team. Doing so will put you in a position to win every game.

Win or lose together.

Believe that the loose ball you are chasing has your name on it.

You cannot win every game. But you can learn from every game.

Don’t let a single game break your heart.

You might have to throw out your well-crafted plan after only five minutes.

When you screw up, admit you are wrong. Apologize in front of the whole team. To admit a mistake is not a weakness, it is a strength.

Look very carefully at the demeanor of your team. Are they healthy, injured, excited, down, energized, or tired?

Ask your team leaders their opinions.

Having fun helps reduce pres-sure.

Maintain a good sense of humor. You don’t always want your team to see you with furrows in your forehead.

Before you ever utter a word, the team sees your face, the look in your eyes, even your walk. Show the face your team needs to see.

You do not always beat fear with a hug. Sometimes you have to attack the hell out of it.

Never forget a defeat. Defeat can be the key to victory.

At the end of every season, thank your team for their effort.

If something isn’t working, try something new and different. Innovate. Never give up. Never.