Attitude – The Cornerstone of Leadership

Being a leader is all about attitude. Or, in this case, ATTITUDE. An acronym with simple, practical concepts describing the personal characteristics of the best leaders and how to develop those characteristics in yourself. ATTITUDE follows several key concepts: First, of course, attitude itself, and your positivity or negativity in everyday life. The rest of the acronym - teamwork, toughness, intelligence, thank you, you, determination, and effort - is everything you need in order to lead people, not by words but by the inspiring way in which you conduct yourself and show up every day ready to listen, learn, and grow. The concepts presented are uncomplicated, addressing leadership through real-world examples. For example, effort itself is nothing if it is not consistent. Success cannot come without a willingness to fail and make mistakes - and to learn from those mistakes and show up the next day with the determination to try again and take personal responsibility. Toughness is not hardness, but instead, working through difficult times without a litany of complaints and, perhaps most important, true intelligence comes from an understanding that knowledge is not always displayed by showing how much you know, but by how well you listen. These characteristics add up to a successful leader - not because he or she tells people what to do, but because he or she embodies characteristics that others will aspire to. Use this fun and insightful guide to think about the principles of leadership and how you can apply them in everyday life.

Pat Sullivan

About Pat Sullivan (Chicago, Illinois Author)

Pat Sullivan

Pat Sullivan is a former basketball coach, teacher, and administrator at Providence High School in New Lenox, Il. for ten years and thirty-four years at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Il.

His teams won 602 games in his career and he was named Coach-of-the-Year eleven times from the Conference, State, and the Midwest Region. He has spoken at coaching clinics throughout America for USA Coaching Clinics and has presented clinics and camps in Greece, Belgium, Austria, and Ireland. He has also spoken to businesses on the importance of attitude in a leadership role from Boston to San Francisco. He received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, his alma mater, Lewis University, where he was the 1965 class valedictorian, and from the Joliet Area Chamber of Commerce. The recreation center at the University of St. Francis has been named the Pat Sullivan Center and he has been inducted into eight Halls of Fame.

Pat is married to Peg Sullivan, has five children. and thirteen grandchildren.