This piece originally appeared at On Leadership at The Washington Post. For the original piece, click here
Even at 5’4”, Kim Mulkey stands out at Baylor University. Since 2005, she has led the women’s basketball team to five Sweet Sixteen appearances, three Elite Eights, two Final Fours, and a NCAA championship win. This year the Lady Bears started 23-0 and have been ranked No. 1 in the country. Since taking over as coach of the Baylor program in 2000, Mulkey has built a powerhouse, and credits her success to a few key factors. In a conversation with Mulkey, we learned what those are.
Mulkey arrived at Baylor more than a decade ago to take the reigns of a struggling basketball team that finished the previous season with a 7-20 record. The first-time head coach was committed to raising expectations on all fronts (personal, academic and athletics) and didn’t waste time. Under Mulkey, players were expected to go to class, perform well academically, be respectful and always work hard. Her standards quickly took hold, guiding a turnaround of unprecedented proportions. In the course of a single season, Baylor basketball went from laughing stock to the NCAA tournament.
Since that remarkable first season, Mulkey’s standards have never dipped. “I want to see them play extremely hard,” Mulkey says, “and I know I’m going to coach hard.” She has an almost intuitive sense for what her players need in order to maintain their effort — whether it’s a hug, wink or a kick in the butt.
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Kim Mulkey has done exactly what needs to be done in order to turn a team around. Sometimes the hardest things to do, for example suspending a star player for missing class is the right thing to do. She is teaching her players self-determination not only on the court but off the court as well. Mulkey's players are more than just a "team" she considers them part of her family. Turning the Baylor team around from a losing record to an NCAA tournament bid the following year and eventually #1 team in the nation takes hard work and constant improvement. Mulkey believes that she doesn't know it all and is always learning and that's something that she instills in her players and I believe that is why she has had so much success in a short period of time at Baylor.
ReplyDeleteI believe Kim Mulkey's passion for basketball and determination to make changes in Baylor basketball was key to her success. Her ability to change the players outlook and let them know their expectations in their academics, classes, and skills on the court was important to get them to work hard. Looking at her team as family shows her dedication to the team and shows that she in this for more than just wins. As Mulkey learns from her experiences coaching the players are learning as well to become better versions of themselves, grow academically, and improve their skills in basketball. With Mulkey's success in improving the program and her good coaching/leading skills helped lead the team to be the #1 team. I believe that she has grown as coach and has very good leadership qualities are helped her get to her success.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting - sometimes coaches are afraid to raise the bar in all areas, as Mulkey did, because they fear it may overwhelm their athletes. But that's exactly what Mulkey did, and it seems to have worked well for her. I like how you put it - that her players are becoming better versions of themselves as a result.
ReplyDeleteJust goes to show that the majority of the intimidation factor doesn't stem from size. She's 5'4" and she has accomplished so much. It isn't by luck, either. She has consecutively and consistently brought the team to victory. That's some girl power. :)
ReplyDeleteKateLynn - you saying that she has arrived at her accomplishments through intimidation? I need to hear more!
ReplyDeleteNooooo, not by intimidation. Quite the opposite. I think many people confuse the power to change things with the power to intimidate people. She didn't let her gender or her below-average size to affect her success in the world of sports. I meant that she didn't allow any of those factors to intimidate her. I definitely don't think leadership by intimidation is a healthy way to get results.
DeleteKim Mulkey has done what any coach should do to help turn around a team. She has worked the girls hard, helped changed their outlooks within the game and their academics. Kim has helped the girls by encouraging them as well as showing them with dedication to the support they will succeed. I think how she redid everything was definitely astonishing, and she helped the players realize that on the court they learn to better themselves as well as the game. I think it is great how she went above and beyond to change Baylor, and has leaded them to great success. Are there other coaches who have been able to overturn a program in such little time as Kim Mulkey has?
ReplyDeleteThe one that comes to mind immediately (probably because I'm a fan) is Jim Harbaugh of the SF 49ers. It only took him one year to turn around San Diego State, Stanford, and most recently the Niners...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Joe, Jim Harbaugh, in my opinion, is one of the best coaches in any sport today. He is able to get his players to buy in to his system and work together. He is a tremendous leader in my opinion. His enthusiasm suprises me because many coaches in sports are "boring" and they do not get caught up in the drama of the game. Jim Harbaugh represents the new, modern style coach that shows his enjoyment after winning as much as the players. On the other hand, Kim Mulkey is doing a tremendous job at Baylor. In recent years, she has developed Britney Griner into becoming the most dominant force in women's college basketball. Off the court, she has guided her players and those involved with the program to become better adults and human beings.
ReplyDeleteHarbaugh's challenge is going to be maintaining success - which is much different than turning an organization around...
ReplyDeleteRegarding enthusiasm - other coaches, such as Belichick, rarely show emotion. But they are still successful. Is one method better than the other? What type of leader would you rather have?
After reading the article and everyone's posts I feel like there is a part that people are missing.Kim Mulkey was obviously a hard, demanding and strict coach, but she was also a caring and smart individual. Last semester in my leadership 301 course I learned that when leading people the more you expect from them, the more they will produce. When coach Mulkey came into Baylor she was a new coach taking on a program that needed help. Instead of changing up the program itself, Mulkey decided to change the players. By demanding more and showing that there are no exceptions to rules, she made all the players equal. I also agree with what you said Joe regarding Harbaugh's challenge. Getting a team turned around is much different that maintaining a teams success. If i had a choice i would rather have a coach in between Belichick and Harbaugh. What I mean is that some emotion is a motivator for players but to much emotion becomes a distraction for everyone. My old soccer coach used to say "When you score a goal boys, act like you have scored before not like its your first time it will say more."
ReplyDeleteMathew, reminds me of the saying, "People won't care what you know until they know that you care", and I agree. I don't think her players would respond in the way that they have unless they understood that Coach Mulkey cared about them - as more than just basketball players.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that Coach Mulkey has performed spectacularly and turned around a program that was headed down an awful road of mediocrity. Not only did she turn the basketball team around but she did it the right way, by making the team accountable in every other aspect of their lives. Other coaches have turned around teams but few can do it and also instill values that last a lifetime. I'm glad she didn't choose the John Calipari method.
ReplyDelete-Stuart Squires
I believe that Coach Kim Mulkey is the perfect example of what a coach should be in today's world. I agree what Stuart that the Calipari way of coaching is not the way things should be done. With Coach Mulkey and her Baylor Bears on the verge of a perfect season it only proves that her method works. Mulkey is a great leader with a medical disability that doesn't stop her either. Mulkey was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and still able to overcome and accomplish all that she has. She is the definition of a leader and winner.
ReplyDeleteBy letting her team know her expectation before hand and imposing that not abiding by her rules and expectations she not only shows she cares but shows that one of her goals is to better the players overall lives. As coach and a mom shes knows that she has vision beyond the court. Her players may not have seen it at first but soon they realized that she is only looking out for them as individuals and as a team. This shows that as a leader she recognizes that her followers are just as important as the goal.
ReplyDeleteI understand that Calipari has gotten himself into trouble at times throughout his coaching career, however I'm confused at what "the Calapari method" actually is. While coaching at UMass, he took a losing team in his first season to a winning team in his following 7 seasons, 5 NCAA tournament appearances in a row including a Final Four appearance in his final year. "Calipari's greatest strength as a coach is his ability to create teams that play together..." As said by Pat Forde, a writer for EPSN.com. Controversies aside, Calapari is one of the best coaches in college basketball today because he is able to mold teams together to win basketball games and compete for championships.
ReplyDeleteI don't think John Calipari is a bad coach. Nor do I think he is a good coach. He wins by bringing in top tier talent through shady recruiting practices and then leaving the team once the NCAA starts fishing for evidence. Just because Pat Ford says something doesn't mean that it is true.
DeleteHaving watched Baylor all season, I find this post very interesting. It is always fun to watch a basketball coach turn a program around, and that is exactly what has happened at Baylor. The coach took to an authoritarian type of coaching when she got there and I believe that really helped them in their quest to win a national championship.
ReplyDeleteCoach Mulkey's strategy seems to have worked out well. I am sure that the student-athletes felt very motivated because they needed to do more than just play basketball. They now had a coach who cared about them as people, not just athletes. I think her coaching strategy is awesome, she turned a team around completely, and that takes a lot of time and dedication.
ReplyDeleteCoaching a collegiate sport is by no means an easy task. Building it up from the bottom of the ranks is an even harder one. Coach Mulkey displays the right way to do both of these things. With such a tough attitude on the floor, but such a will for her players to succeed on and off of it, she incorporates both in a very balanced fashion. I feel like coaches in men's and women's sports need to do this more. So much of today's collegiate sports is all about wins and gaining revenue for the school and its programs. I like this article so much because you can do all of that, and then you can do it the right way like Baylor has displayed. Class act by Coach Mulkey, which should be shadowed much more often in the NCAA.
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