Pat Williams is the senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic. As one of America’s top motivational, inspirational, and humorous speakers, he has addressed thousands of executives in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies and national associations to universities and nonprofits.  Clients include AllState, American Express, Cisco, Coca-Cola, Disney, Honeywell, IBM, ING, Lockheed Martin, Nike, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Tyson Foods to name a few.  Pat is also the author of over 55 books.   

Pat served for seven years in the United States Army, spent seven years in the Philadelphia Phillies organization—two as a minor league catcher and five in the front office—and has also spent three years in the Minnesota Twins organization. Since 1968, he has been in the NBA as general manager for teams in Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia—including the 1983 World Champion 76ers—and now the Orlando Magic, which he co-founded in 1987 and helped lead to the NBA finals in 1995. Twenty-three of his teams have gone to the NBA playoffs and five have made the NBA finals. In 1996, Pat was named as one of the 50 most influential people in NBA history by Beckett’s, a national publication.  

Pat has been an integral part of NBA history, including bringing the NBA to Orlando.  He has traded Pete Maravich as well as traded for Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Penny Hardaway, and he has won four NBA draft lotteries, including back-to-back winners in 1992 and 1993. He also drafted Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Maurice Cheeks, Andrew Toney and Darryl Dawkins.  He signed Billy Cunningham, Chuck Daly, and Matt Guokas to their first professional coaching contracts. Nineteen of his former players have become NBA head coaches, nine have become college head coaches while seven have become assistant NBA coaches.

SPEECH TOPICS 

Establishing Leadership: The Seven Keys to Leadership in the 21st Century

Pat gives managers practical and proven techniques for immediately increasing their productivity in a leadership capacity.  In this thought-provoking speech, Pat details the seven keys to leadership and teaches how you can be a more effective leader.  Learn how to create a personal strategy, communicate effectively with your employees and make profitable decisions.  Pat’s humorous anecdotes and unique leadership philosophy make this one of his most highly-regarded speeches.

Developing Teamwork:  The Magic of Teamwork

When you see his diamond-encrusted NBA Championship ring, you understand that Pat is a master at building successful teams.  Based on what he has learned from his experience in building sports teams for over 45 years, Pat offers proven principles for building a winning team in your business or organization.  After implementing the techniques presented in this speech, you can expect an organization that will produce better results while working more cohesively.   

Increasing Sales/Success:   Walt Disney’s Five Secrets to Success

To sell more effectively than ever before, it helps to look at those who have had the most success.  Through relevant and amusing anecdotes, Pat reviews the qualities that helped Walt Disney become one of the most successful entrepreneurs in American history.  Taking cues from Walt Disney and some of America’s other great successes, this talk offers pragmatic principles for exceeding business goals. An inspiring talk, especially when visiting the Orlando area, Walt’s Five Secrets highlight a magical, miraculous way of life.

Achieving Peak Performance:  Finding the Will to Win

How have “The Greats” achieved such extraordinary success?  How can you achieve the same results?  In this speech, Pat discusses the qualities that the winners in life possess.  Based on over 45 years in professional sports studying successful athletes and coaches who have produced great triumphs, Pat will teach you the secrets to becoming a more focused person, finding passion in your work and succeeding in the face of defeat. After hearing this speech, you will feel like you can conquer the world!

Creating Quality:  The Ten Keys to Creating a Quality Organization

Successful people know how important it is to have excellence in the workplace.  In a fascinating seminar based upon his personal principles, Pat provides the ingredients of his recipe for quality.  This fast-moving series of ideas and techniques offers the practical steps that can transform any organization into a quality organization.  As one of Pat’s most requested talks, these keys to quality can be used by anyone to enhance not only their work life, but their work environment as well.    

Staff Development:  Champions under Construction

In this perceptive and practical speech, Pat presents the key steps needed to go from dreaming to achieving.  Whether it is being a fantastic father or the top sales associate for your entire region, this developmental speech provides the blueprint for working and living a life full of passion, energy, imagination and creativity.  You will see big changes in the results you seek.  From executives to entry-level employees, this speech will increase your success and happiness, both personally and professionally.

Forging Character:  Souls of Steel

In his realistic approach, Pat teaches how you can achieve great success while maintaining your values and integrity.  An entertaining yet earnest account, Pat discusses the importance of developing core values and leading by example.  This speech will leave you with meaningful solutions, a sense of purpose and specific material to reinforce your leadership role.

Motivation:  The Six Wisdom Principles to Pursuing Your Dreams

Don’t drift through your world; seize it!  In this fast-paced, in-your-face presentation, Pat challenges the audience to not only plan your ideal future but to achieve it, as well.  Using the proven principles passed along to him by his mentor, oil tycoon R.E. Littlejohn, Pat provides the road map from goal-setting to goal-achieving.  Students, parents and teachers will remember this speech as one that changed their life.