Meet the Leadership Guru Trusted by Dabo Swinney, Doc Rivers, Sean McVay and Dozens of Other Coaches By Rhiannon Potkey - The Athletic As he prepared for the 2011 season, Dabo Swinney was searching for ways to bring his players closer together. The Clemson football team had finished 9-5 and 6-7 in Swinney’s first two full seasons as head coach, and he believed the key to Clemson taking the next step was better leadership. Swinney had always tried to glean nuggets of wisdom anywhere he could find them, so during the offseason, he put "Training Camp" by Jon Gordon at the top of his summer reading list. As he delved deeper into the chapters, the messages resonated. They were simple, yet profound; they were things 18- to 23-year-old athletes could easily digest. Swinney would integrate the 11 traits discussed in the book into Clemson's upcoming season. He weaved them into his team's daily activities and practices. Every Friday night, Swinney gathered the entire team in one room and discussed one specific trait in depth. The more games they won, the more Clemson's players bought in. The more they bought in, the closer the team became. "I thought it would be a good way to teach these guys and give them something to really hang onto each week and think about," Swinney says. "I really wanted them to take on these characteristics, whether as a team or individually, and the kids just took it and ran with it." Down in Florida, Jon Gordon happened to flip on a Clemson game one day in 2011 and was impressed by what he saw. He watched how Swinney interacted with his players and wanted to learn more about the man and the program. He had no idea Swinney was using his book. Clemson won the Atlantic Coast Conference title that season for the first time in 20 years, the launching point for a run of success that has turned the program into a national power. It was more than Gordon's book that sparked Clemson's uprising - the Tigers have talented players, great coaching and high-end facilities - but Swinney is quick to credit Gordon as a vital piece of the puzzle. Over the last six years, Gordon's philosophies have been even more ingrained in the Clemson program, and Gordon has become a confidant and adviser to Swinney. Gordon speaks at Clemson's training camp every August, returns for at least one game during the season, and is on-call for advice whenever needed. "He and I communicate all the time," Swinney said. "He has become a big part of our program and a good friend and mentor to me." Gordon has written more than 15 books on leadership, but it was "The Energy Bus" (2007) and "Training Camp" (2009) that put him on the radar of coaches. His words have become teaching points for college and professional sports teams across the country; the term "energy vampire" trended in locker rooms once Gordon released the "The Energy Bus." He has worked with entire college athletic departments and individual programs like UCLA basketball, Georgia football and Maryland lacrosse. He has spoken to franchises in every major professional league, including the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder and Pittsburgh Pirates. Last summer, Gordon spent time in Los Angeles meeting with Rams coach Sean McVay and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Doc Rivers, Mark Richt, and Mike Smith are among the coaches who count as Gordon adherents. Sammy Watkins, Breanna Stewart and other athletes have also extolled his teachings. "I never anticipated that I would be speaking to all these professional teams and college programs. That was never really my goal or the intention for me," Gordon, 47, says. "I really focused more on speaking to businesses at the start of this, but sports and schools really grabbed a hold of the books and the messages." Fear is what drove Gordon to inspire others. Gordon grew up on Long Island, New York. His biological father left when he was around a year old, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather. His mother worked in sales and his stepfather was a New York City cop. Gordon was recruited to play football and lacrosse in college, and he joined the lacrosse team at Cornell University, where he studied government economics. After graduating, Gordon thought about pursuing a career in law but bypassed the extra schooling and opened a restaurant in the Atlanta area. Through his business, he made connections and decided to run for city council. "I went door to door to 7,000 houses and lost the election," Gordon says. "I was devastated at the time, but looking back I am glad it happened. I am glad I am not in politics anymore."
Gordon eventually began working in the dot-com industry and moved his family to Jacksonville, Fla. But then the industry crashed, and he was jobless and struggling to find his way. "My wife and I were fighting a lot before this and I was really scared and fearful and miserable," Gordon says. "She'd had enough of the negativity and she said, 'I love you, but I am not going to spend my life with someone who makes me so miserable.'" The ultimatum was a wake-up call for Gordon. He was 29 years old with a wife and two children to support. "I remember I just said, 'Why am I here God? I know I am here for a reason.' I got on my knees and prayed that I would find my purpose," Gordon says. "I will never forget that, in that moment, writing and speaking came to me. That is what I was going to do." Until he could make his name as a writer, Gordon still needed to provide for his family. He opened a Moe's Southwest Grill by taking out a second mortgage on his home and putting $200,000 on his credit cards. "If I didn’t make a profit, I don't know how we would have survived," Gordon says. "We almost went bankrupt several times early on, but my wife and I did everything we could to build the business." After seven months, the restaurant began turning a profit and Gordon could focus on his writing. "Positivity was something I wanted to speak about, probably because I wanted to become more positive," Gordon says. "I am not a naturally positive person. I always tell people I have to work at it, and I think because of that I've become a good teacher in sharing the lessons. I had to apply it to my own life." The idea for "The Energy Bus" came to Gordon during a walk around his neighborhood. He wrote the book in less than four weeks. It was rejected by every publisher. During a trip to the local bookstore, Gordon spotted the name John Wiley & Sons on a book. He told his agent to send the publishing company a copy of the "The Energy Bus." After the book changed hands a few times within departments, John Wiley & Sons signed Gordon. At first, no bookstores in the United States would even carry "The Energy Bus." But for some reason, it was a huge hit in South Korea. The book sold for $220,000 - the largest foreign rights deal John Wiley & Sons had done, according to Gordon. To drum up interest in the U.S., Gordon embarked on a book tour. He signed books for crowds of only 10-20 people and did every radio and newspaper interview possible. That's when Jack Del Rio called. Then the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Del Rio wanted Gordon to speak to his team. His defensive coordinator, Mike Smith, had just read "The Energy Bus" and mentioned the book to Del Rio. Del Rio purchased copies for every staff member in the organization - from the players and front office personnel to the janitors and cafeteria workers. One season after finishing 8-8, the Jaguars went 11-5 in 2007 and made the AFC Playoffs. Gordon's book was mentioned by the Jaguars in several media spots. Other coaches and players took notice. To date, his books have sold more than three million copies, and speaking gigs net him $35,000 a pop. "Staying positive as a group really goes to the core of what makes a successful team," Gordon said. "I had no clue when I was first writing 'The Energy Bus,' but what I wrote really went to the heart and the challenges that coaches and teams face." Gordon doesn't profess to have all the answers to building a winning culture. And, he doesn't sell his message as a cure-all. "I want to be very clear, my talks don't win championships and my books don't win championships. It's always the leadership of the coach and the players that accomplish that," Gordon says. "This is not a perfect science. I realize that. I am just sharing principles with these coaches and players to help them better lead their teams." Motivating players can be an all-consuming task for coaches. Their office shelves are lined with leadership books, and they print out articles to share and post throughout their facilities. Belief can be a powerful thing, and reaching a diverse group of athletes in the millennial generation requires a special touch. During the last football season alone, college programs had turnover chains, trash cans, planks and spiked shoulder pads. Players wore acronym-laden bracelets and T-shirts adorned with slogans. It is in that search for ways to create belief in players that coach after coach has found Gordon's writings. Jeff Monken needed more than catchphrases when he arrived at Army in 2014. He was taking over a football program with a 3-9 record and only one bowl appearance in the previous 25 years.
Leadership at the military academies resonates far beyond sports, and the Army athletic department brings in a range of speakers each year to address their athletes and coaches. Gordon appeared in 2015 when Monken's team was in the midst of a 2-10 season. Monken had read some of Gordon's books and was intrigued by his message. "It was just fantastic to have him here because a lot of the things he talks about and believes in terms of leadership and team building are things that we believe in and we were using," Monken says. "To have him be able to reassure us on what we were doing and kind of troubleshoot a little bit was great." During his visit, Gordon compared Army's rebuilding process to pruning a vine. He spoke about patience and trusting the vision. He sent Monken text messages of encouragement after wins and losses. Army recorded its second 10-win season in program history last year, beating rival Navy and punctuating the season with a thrilling last-minute victory over San Diego State in the Armed Forces Bowl. "It's a continual process and effort to get the results that you want and the performance that you want. The buy-in effort and the enthusiasm and everything – you have to continue to nurture the vine," Monken says, recalling Gordon's words. "You may not be able to see the fruit of your labor immediately, but if we continue to do the little things we are going to get the results. That very much stuck with us." The Drive Group, a recruiting company, reported that 95 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs played college sports. In a survey of 821 high-level executives, Ernst & Young found that 90 percent of women played sports, including 96 percent of chief-level executives. Gordon's work isn't just inspiring athletic teams, it is seeding the farm system for America’s boardrooms. Despite having registered more than 1,000 wins, 22 conference titles and two NCAA championships in 38 years as a college head coach, Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer still regularly asks authors and experts to address her teams. She had Gordon take part in a Skype session a few years ago after meeting him at a women's basketball convention. "The simplicity and directness of his books really stood out and gave us something to talk about with our team," VanDerveer says. "Having people like Jon Gordon speak to us has benefited us a lot. Sometimes they might say the same thing you do, but it’s a different person and from a different perspective." Swinney and Gordon admired each other from afar until social media brought them together in the summer of 2012. Swinney was sitting on the beach during a family vacation when Chad Morris, Clemson's offensive coordinator at the time, called. Morris had reached out to Gordon on Twitter and told Gordon about Clemson using his book during its breakthrough season.
Gordon asked Morris to have Swinney call him.
"The next thing I know Jon Gordon is here speaking to our team and giving them all copies of 'The Energy Bus,'" Swinney says. "Ever since then, Jon has come up on the third day of camp every August to speak to the team." Gordon's meetings with Clemson generally last about 30 minutes, and he'll hang out after to talk with players individually. His discussion topics change to fit the season or the personality of the team. "He has such a great delivery and he articulates things in a way I think everyone can relate to," Swinney says. "He always has a great message to share with us. Different players have stayed in contact with him over the years even after they leave here." Developing leaders is an essential part of Clemson's culture. Swinney preaches servant leadership and tries to nurture and model it on a daily basis. He created P.A.W. Journey - an acronym for Passionate About Winning - that is dedicated to providing his players with off-the-field experiences like delivering meals and shoes to underprivileged children in Haiti. He formed the Swinney Council, a group of players selected by the team to meet with coaches and administrators once a week to discuss issues. "We empower these guys and we communicate with them in a unique way because leadership is critical to everything," Swinney says. "Everything rises and falls on leadership. You can't just have straight talent. You have to have great leadership to sustain and maintain any type of consistency. Our guys understand that." As much as Clemson has learned from Gordon's books and visits, Gordon has learned just as much from Clemson. He doesn't believe his messages would resonate as deeply with players without someone like Swinney guiding the way. "Dabo is one of the best leaders I've ever met. He is so intentional about what he is doing, and he knew the culture he was going to build there," Gordon says. "He is so optimistic and positive and he is always looking toward the future and creating the future. He doesn't allow setbacks or obstacles to bring them down. He has a great blend of love and accountability." Although he's visited before big games in the past, Gordon didn't attend the 2018 Sugar Bowl between Clemson and Alabama. Why? The once-jobless family man struggling to escape negativity in his own life was in Los Angeles working on another book, which came out last month. "The Power of a Positive Team" was a bestseller in its first week.
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