President Brodhead kicks off Duke Leadership Academy

The second Duke Leadership Academy began Thursday with President Richard H. Brodhead citing the leadership qualities of Coach Mike Krzyzewski.Brodhead told the class Krzyzewski has "the ability to create an atmosphere where other people's talents can shine and to supply the missing ingredient to get things done."  "No matter how bad things get on the court, Coach K can't get out there and play for the team," Brodhead said. "His role is to give direction to the team."The Duke Leadership Academy is an effort, led by Duke Human Resources, to prepare the next generation of Duke's leaders. "Our goal is to identify current and emerging leaders within Duke, and provide them with the opportunity to engage with senior leaders and to develop their leadership competencies," said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for Human Resources. The group that met Thursday is the second cohort to participate in the program.The opening session with university leaders included an informal discussion with Brodhead about his experiences with leadership as a professor, chair, dean and ultimately president of a university. "I have learned that people want leadership," Brodhead said. "They want a sense of what the goals are, a sense of where they belong."The Duke Leadership Academy program curriculum is based on best practices from the Fuqua/Coach K Center On Leadership and Ethics (COLE) model. Participants must be nominated by a dean or vice-president. Over 12 months, the 20 program participants will hear from current Duke leaders about their perspectives and practical experiences. Participants will also work on projects to address current challenges at Duke.Dr. Carol Epling, a leadership academy class member, said she is excited about the opportunities the class will offer. "It is an honor to be here, and to think about how much there is to learn," she said.For more information, visit the Duke Leadership Academy website.