Coach K on How to Read People

Mike William Krzyzewski, a.k.a Coach K, is a former basketball coach known for winning the most games in the history of men’s college basketball. As head coach at Duke University from 1980–2022, he led the Division I team to more than a thousand victories—including five national championships.

Before becoming one of the world’s winningest coaches, Coach K graduated from the United States Military Academy and served in the armed forces from 1969–1974, resigning as an Army Captain. Coach K’s military background and success as a basketball coach have made him an expert in transformational leadership.

Reading others means analyzing verbal and nonverbal cues to judge their character, behavior, thoughts, or feelings. It’s the observations you make when interacting with someone that help you determine what kind of person they are.

Reading another human being often manifests as a gut feeling. Perhaps the person you’re speaking with oozes self-confidence or displays low self-esteem. Maybe they appear to be an introvert or an extrovert. To read someone effectively, you must pay close attention to their body language, including their posture, eye contact, physical movements, and facial expressions.

A person’s face can tell a lot about how that person feels. For example, research shows that the smile of a person experiencing an authentic positive emotion will employ more facial muscles than if they were faking it. Likewise, body language cues can reveal information about a person. For example, liars are more prone to fidget than people telling the truth.

However, one must be aware of one’s biases when reading people. Gut feelings can help us navigate first impressions, but they rarely tell the whole story. When you first meet someone, read their body language to establish a baseline for their behavior patterns. For example, an anxious person might be more prone to fidgeting, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re dishonest.

For Coach K, reading people goes beyond first impressions. “What I try to do is I try to learn more about people,” he says. “That, to me, is incredibly important in order to be a good leader.” Here are some tips from Coach K on how to read your team:

1. 1. Read body language. “I look at body language all the time,” Coach K says. “We tape every game, but I also tape my bench.” Coach K looks for players who lack enthusiasm when the team makes a big play and seeks the opportunity to address any issues the player may not have expressed verbally.
2. 2. Know your audience. “You can show your teams respect by meeting them where they are,” Coach K says. Pay close attention not only to what your team says, but to their body language, how they dress, and tone of voice. Then mirror these qualities in your behaviors. “Do a little bit to let them know [you’re] in their world,” he adds.
3. 3. Seek understanding. When relaying a message to someone on a basketball court or in the office, watch people closely to ensure they’ve understood what you said. Micro-expressions are a good sign as to whether or not they received your message. For example, if someone nods but their facial expression shows confusion, find another way to reinforce your message. As Coach K says, “It’s on you to get the message across.”

When you lead a team, what you say isn’t necessarily as important as how you say it. Discover Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski’s secret to reading people, giving feedback, and building leaders when you sign up for the MasterClass Annual Membership.