By Isabell Macrina
Westwood Public Library was fully packed Thursday night to hear from the legendary coach of Ivy League women’s basketball, Kathy Delaney-Smith, who first coached at Westwood High School and later Harvard. Her famed “Act As If” philosophy has given her the distinction of the winningest coach of any sport in Ivy League history, and has changed the lives of her players and friends alike. This, along with pushing from her friends, encouraged her to write her book “Grit and Wit: Empowering Lives and Leaders.”
Along with Kathy, this book was co-written by Anne Heffron, life coach and author of “You Don’t Look Adopted” and co-writer of the movie “Sleep No More,” and Laura Barnard, a former player under Smith! Barnard is the founder of BREAKTHRU, a leadership development consultancy with a philosophy rooted in breaking barriers and championing inequality.
Along with her remarkable sense of humor, evident in her quips with co-authors and the crowd, Kathy was such an incredibly genuine and grateful person. After her co-authors each read a section aloud to give people the idea of what to expect, she took the time to shout out her old players, coaching staff, and friends, a lot of whom were in the audience that day. Even before she stood up to speak, she went to the back of the room where the entirety of the Westwood High School girls’ basketball team and their coaches were. She took the time to talk to the girls, even dismissing when one had negative self-talk and insisted she call herself an excellent player.
Her focus, beyond winning games, was to give her players the tools to handle adversity. Like perfection being boring, she insisted “Mistakes are good! They’re funny! Learn to laugh at yourself!” Kathy’s philosophy is beyond just “act as if”—it’s act as if you have the qualities you want to achieve, and you’ll get them faster. She argued it’s different than “fake it till you make it”; it’s intention, rather than reaction. After her history with cancer recovery, back surgery, and fighting through the early days of Title IX to demand equal equipment and uniform funds for her players, there is definitive proof behind that mentality working.
The book is three things: a memoir, a leadership book, and an equity book. In telling her story, Kathy tells how she became the leader she is today despite having no experience with basketball before she started coaching. She believed in relational leading, starting with insisting her players call her coach Kathy. Beyond that she fought every step of the way. She fought for equal budgets, fair wages, and for her athletes to get the respect they deserve. All of that is what made her a legendary coach and a fantastic person. If that sounds interesting to you, I highly recommend picking up her book and reading it, perhaps finding some empowerment yourself.
