Joliet’s Pat Sullivan shares leadership lessons from decades of coaching

Pat Sullivan of Joliet learned plenty about leadership during the 34 years he coached basketball at the University of St. Francis.

Sullivan learned many of those lessons from other athletes, and Sullivan shares 54 of them his third book “Lessons in Leadership from Athletics: Life Experiences by Coach Pat Sullivan.”

“I think anyone in a leadership position will glean something to make their leadership more effective,” Sullivan said. “I also think it’s an easy read; it’s not difficult whatsoever. And, you know, I think we are a country that pretty much love athletics. So the combination of the two – athletics and leadership – I think, can be a fun read.”

These essays originally appeared on Sullivan’s blog, which he began 10 years ago as a vehicle for discussing “different things that came up in athletics” and how they connected to leadership, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said he paused the blog to write his three books.

His first book, “Attitude - The Cornerstone of Leadership,” was inspired from a speech he delivered at the University of Notre Dame on attitude and leadership, Sullivan said.

In his second book, “Team Building: From the Bench to the Boardroom,” Sullivan took 20 team-building concepts used in athletics and showed their application in building business teams.

Sullivan said the process of writing the three books “sharpened my thinking” about the parallels between athletics and business and how closely they were connected.

“And it’s a shame that people don’t see athletics in that vein,” Sullivan said.

“You know, I think we are a country that pretty much love athletics. So the combination of the two – athletics and leadership – I think, can be a fun read.”

—  Pat Sullivan, retired USF coach and author

Pat Sullivan’s three favorite essays

Chapter 1: Ben Zobrist Gets It

Sullivan recalled watching his 9-year-old grandson play in a Little League game at a north-side Chicago park district baseball park in 2016 when they saw Chicago Cub Ben Zobrist biking to the ballpark in his uniform. Zobrist went on to be named Most Valuable Player of the Series on that Cubs World Series championship team.

The children were thrilled and brought balls, bats, and hats for Zobrist to autograph, Sullivan said.

“That one really resonated with me,” Sullivan said. “I feel that too many of the pro athletes don’t use that platform to help people, especially young people. And I think more athletics should realize how blessed they are.”

Chapter 14: Gordie’s Legacy

Sullivan said he admired Gordie Gillespie (deceased), a local baseball, basketball and football coaching legend, for his excellence in coaching and having the ability and energy to coach three sports.

“Very few coaches can coach three sports,” Sullivan said. “I had trouble coaching one.”

A common refrain among the 5,000 athletes who played for Gordie Gillespie is, “What would Gordie do?” when confronted with certain situations, Sullivan said. And that’s where Sullivan placed most of his respect.

“It was in the way he treated people,” Sullivan said, “his athletes, for sure – but all people. Gordy was definitely a person who helped other.”

Chapter 35: “Success is Not Owned; It’s Only Rented

“And the rent is due every day,” Sullivan said.

That essay recapped the time when USF played a team that had two 7-foot members, a power forward 6′8* tall, two jet quick guards and “the last of NBA’s first round raft,” Sullivan said.

USF’s tallest player was 6′6″ and “no one from the NBA was looking at any of our players,” Sullivan wrote in the essay.

But USF won the game because they consistently worked hard for their accomplishments, putting the other team to shame.

“I really think they thought they could just step on the floor with their talent and beat us easily,” Sullivan said.

About Pat Sullivan

Sullivan served as assistant principal, varsity basketball coach and college guidance counselor at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox (1965 to 1976) and as a basketball coach, teacher and administrator at the University of St. Francis (1976 to 2011).

From 1972 to 2009, Sullivan directed and coached basketball camps. Camps were located across the U.S. as well as Austria, Belgium, Greece and Ireland. Sullivan has spoken on athletics and leadership since 2010.

For more information, visit coachpatsullivan.net.