Five years ago (June 28, 2016) we lost one of the greatest leaders I have known when Pat Summitt died. She was more than just a legendary basketball coach. She probably could have run for governor in the state of Tennessee. You never heard a negative word uttered about her.
I’ve previously published two articles about Pat Summitt that you might be interested in reading. One is from the day she retired from coaching entitled “Why Pat Summitt is the Best” and the other was from the day she died entitled “Will You Reach for the Summitt with your Legacy?”.
Additionally, here is a piece I wrote for a newsletter back in 2011 called “Profile in Leadership: Pat Summitt”. I thought the quotes and thoughts about her might elicit good memories about her or inspire you today to make a difference in the lives of those around you.
PROFILE IN LEADERSHIP: Pat Summitt
Coach Summitt has won more games at the Division I level than any other coach in the history of basketball (men and women). In her 38 seasons as head coach of the LadyVols, she has won more than 84% of her games en route to 1071 career wins. This is even more astounding when you consider that 47% of her games during her career have been against ranked opponents. Below are excerpts that capture a partial snapshot of Coach Summitt’s leadership.
(Kara Lawson, former UT and WNBA player) “In Tennessee, she’s like the president. She can get whatever she wants. But I’ll always remember one time we had this individual workout in an auxiliary gymnasium. Just the two of us, the ones NCAA rules allow. There was a curtain up. On the other side, an awards ceremony was going on. In the middle of our workout, they came over and said, ‘Can you all stop bouncing the ball?’ This is Tennessee. This is Pat Summitt. I’m 19 and I’m thinking, ‘You want it to stop? Go somewhere else!’ Coach goes, ‘No problem. We’re done for the day. ‘He’s going, ‘Coach, we’re so sorry. You can keep playing.’ And on and on. She goes, ‘No, we’re good.’ Well, I’m mad. This is my 1-on-1 time with a great coach. I’m like, ‘Why did you stop? You don’t have to listen to them.’ She looked at me and said, ‘That’s not how it works. You don’t ever act like you’re better than people or entitled to something. There is a time and place for everything.” (excerpt from “Summitt’s Influence on Former Players Goes Far Beyond Basketball Court”; Hartford Courant; August 25, 2011; Jeff Jacobs)
She describes two ways to break through a glass ceiling. You can […] try to shatter it with your high heels, or you can learn to cut glass. I choose to be a glasscutter. (excerpt from “The Business of Sports”; www.BusinessTN.com; October 2005; Drew Ruble)
(Pat Summitt) “If you always put more into getting ready for a game — or a business meeting — than you’ll need, then no game or meeting will ever overwhelm you. I want our team to not just be physically more prepared than their opponents… I want them to be mentally stronger, too. Those are life lessons.” (excerpt from “Prepare More Than is Needed”; www.DonYaeger.com; January 20, 2009; Don Yaeger)
(Pat Summitt) “It is important to hear those you’re leading. And it is just as important for them to understand that what sounds good isn’t always as good as it sounds. I enjoy including my players, the captains of the teams particularly, in setting some direction. If they are involved in setting the goals, establishing the rules and regulations, they’ll always be more cooperative. If they’re more cooperative, there are fewer violations and discipline is required less often. This is one big cycle, and you have to see the whole of the cycle—and remain consistent throughout—to enjoy true success.” (excerpt from “Winning Every Day”; www.DonYaeger.com; July 27, 2009; Don Yaeger)
(John Wooden, Winner of 10 NCAA men’s championships at UCLA) “The national championships Pat has won don’t really tell the whole story about her. Yes, she knows the game. But most of all she studies people. And much of the time that attribute is overlooked. True leaders understand people, they’re able to analyze each one individually and then give each one the treatment they deserve.” (excerpt from “Winning Every Day”; www.DonYaeger.com; July 27, 2009; Don Yaeger)
Her principle that you can’t push a piece of string but you can pull it…she likes to ask her players at the beginning of each season what style of basketball they want to play. Predictably, they respond that they want to run and press. “Music to my ears,” she says. However, once her team gets on the practice court and is soon panting from “running and pressing and running and pressing,” she is quick to remind them of the choice they made. (excerpt from “The Business of Sports”; www.BusinessTN.com; October 2005; Drew Ruble)
(Leadership expert John C. Maxwell) “Pat Summitt’s coaching career underlines the statement that everything rises and falls on leadership. Most people have leadership moments. Pat has given the University of Tennessee a lifetime of leadership.” (excerpt from “The Business of Sports”; www.BusinessTN.com; October 2005; Drew Ruble)
(Pat Summitt) “There are a lot of parallels between basketball and corporate America. Both sides know you only win if you have a great team. Little is accomplished with only one talented player. And to build a great team people have to understand their roles and you have to understand the importance of eliminating confusion. When you get on a big team, that’s when it’s even more important that everyone knows their functions. And in working through that, understanding that everybody has to do what they do best, and bring that to the team — just like we want our players to play to their strengths. In the corporate arena, you want the people who have specific jobs to do to be the right ones for those jobs and to do them to the best of their abilities. Communication is even more important, because in corporate America your team is so much bigger. We work on bringing the right attitude to practice — or work — every day and we teach our players how to motivate themselves and others. Everyone is craving motivation these days. Those who can deliver it will always have jobs.” (excerpt from “Prepare More Than is Needed”; www.DonYaeger.com; January 20, 2009; Don Yaeger)
Similarly, like a CEO who grows a company by gaining the respect and support of the financial markets, Summitt’s ability to win, and to instill confidence in her stakeholders–boosters and the U.T. administration alike–also spurred success. Individual success is a myth. Your chief asset is the array of personalities you work with. (excerpt from “The Business of Sports”; www.BusinessTN.com; October 2005; Drew Ruble)
(Pat Summitt) “I haven’t hit a shot in any one of those wins you mentioned. I haven’t taken a charge or made a steal. The things I’m credited with are the result of a great number of others coming together to achieve goals they set together. That’s the beauty of this discussion. These fundamentals are the same today as they were in the mid-1970s.” (excerpt from “Winning Every Day”; www.DonYaeger.com; July 27, 2009; Don Yaeger)
It’s the embodiment of one of her strongest maxims on leadership. Responsibility equals accountability equals ownership. And a sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have. (excerpt from “The Business of Sports”; www.BusinessTN.com; October 2005; Drew Ruble)