Coach K shifted gears quickly this week, transitioning from leading in times of hilarity to leading in times of uncertainly.  After a weekend of smiles, entertainment and outrageous performances by Nolan Smith on and off the court at Countdown to Craziness, the eighth annual Fuqua/Coach K Leadership Conference opened on Monday with this year’s theme, “Leading in Times of Uncertainty.”

The conference, which ran through Wednesday at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business, covered topics such as leading through the financial crisis, competing as a 21st century enterprise among 20th century giants, leveraging the social network, leading through organized chaos and more.  Speakers at the conference included talented and successful leaders such as Michael Capps (Presiden, EPIC Games), Illieva Ageenko (Senior VP, eCommerce, Bank of America), James McCaffrey (Executive VP, TBS), Shannon Wells (Global Director, Microsoft), and Jim Whitehurst (President and CEO, Red Hat).  A collaboration between Fuqua, Duke Corporate Education, Duke Athletics/Coach K, and the Kenan Institute for Ethics, the conference drew speakers, moderators, and attendees from all other the USA.

In kicking off the conference, Coach K told attendees, “When there is a lot of uncertainty … it’s actually a great opportunity.  More people listen when they’re not sure.  It’s a good time for a good team to get better.”

The conference started Monday evening with a reception at Fuqua.  Tuesday was a full-day of presentations and meetings, and then Wednesday had several keynote addresses and discussions before the event wrapped up around lunch time.  The conference was a big success, bringing together industry leaders from finance, sports, consulting, government, entertainment and technology to discuss ideas and leadership strategies that transcend a specific industry or field.

A DAY AT THE FUQUA/COACH K LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE – Tuesday, October 20th

8:00 AM – Breakfast

9:00 AM – Opening Session (Blair Sheppard, Dean, Fuqua School of Business)

9:15 AM – Leading through the Financial Crisis (Brian Derksen, Deputy CEO, Deloitte; Abigail Johnson, President, Fidelity Personal/Workspace Investing Business Unit)

10:15 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Leading through Organized Chaos (Howard Lerman, CEO, Yext; Thomas Rizk, Chairman/CEO, MediTract; Shannon Wells, Global Director, Microsoft)

11:30 AM – Leading the Creative Enterprise (John Brown, Advisor to Provost, USC, & Independent Co-Chairman, Deloite Center for the Edge; Michael Capps, President, EPIC Games)

12:30 PM – Lunch

1:45 PM – Break

3:00 PM – Duke Basketball Practice in Cameron led by Coach K

6:00 PM – Dinner and Keynote Address by Coach K