Why Did Bobby Knight Decide to Mentor Everyone?

David Senra, reading Bill Gurley's account, says Bobby Knight decided to mentor everyone else because Pete Newell had been willing to teach him, and Knight had to pass that same help on.

Shortly after one of his sessions with Pete Newell, the next year Indiana played one of Pete Newell's teams and the two sides met in a tournament. Bobby Knight used what Pete Newell taught him and beat Pete Newell on the field. In Knight's book, as Senra reads it, the lesson is plain: if Pete Newell was willing to do that for him, he had to do it for everyone else. One person he did it for was a young Coach K. Bobby Knight mentored Coach K. Coach K later passed Bobby Knight on the all-time career wins list, and when Coach K was inducted into the Hall of Fame he asked Bobby Knight to induct him.

Danny Meyer's book ties the same idea to business. You get what you give, and you get more by giving more. Generosity of spirit and a generous approach to problem-solving are, with few exceptions, the most effective way to earn lasting goodwill for a business.