Paul Assaiante

Based on his book, Run to the Roar: Coaching to Overcome Fear, Paul encourages people to free themselves from the chains of fear, so that success and the joy of the journey can be realized. He details how teams can be strengthened through empathy and by nurturing a positive, forward-thinking attitude. Attendees gain insight into his guiding principles “the awesome power of now” and “love wins.” Audiences are inspired to:

• Give everything they have - every day 
• Be the best they can be - every day
• Negotiate through change and make the right decisions
• Identify and face the fears that block success
• Imagine the huge impact that can be created when a group of people embraces these concepts! What championship awaits your team?

Coaching a U.S. Gold Medal squash team isn’t that much different than leading a winning team in a business environment. Many companies are focused on “culture!” If it is weak, how can we improve it? If it is solid, how do we maintain it? This is especially an issue for large companies where continual and ongoing communication is difficult. Successful cultures start with one person at a time. It’s best to focus on every person’s ability to empathize and care about others. Once you bring the group together and create a spider web of concern, then overall culture can improve. Yes, I have spent most of my career in sports. But now I consult with companies and speak around the world. What I have come to understand is that the commonality between sports and business is competition. If you can learn to be comfortable with and succeed in competitive spaces, then you can be the master of both.

As a coach for a national championship squash program, representing 25 different countries, Paul knows how to connect people from different backgrounds, religions, and cultures. His teams are among the most diverse and the most successful. For organizations, creating and fostering diverse teams can improve overall productivity, culture, and morale. So how do you build a diverse team? How do you get everyone to work together? Paul will share what he has learned recruiting team members, from around the world, and will guide you on how to build your own diverse, winning team.  

Paul spent three years as the Chief Perspective Officer at a successful hedge fund. The firm recognized that egos can sometimes be a distraction from the overall goal and hired Paul to inspire a sense of family among their team. He taught them that, to succeed as a group, individuals truly need to buy into the concept that they are a member of a family. All the family members must have each other’s backs. Through storytelling and a note of humor, Paul will teach audiences how to inspire winning teams with the following messages:

• Individuals do not win, the team wins
• Individuals each have a role, but all contribute to the greater good
• Creating a sense of ownership is essential for leadership loyalty
• When a group is put through adversity, it becomes more unified
• Being part of a team means holding individuals accountable for their performance

Coach Paul Assaiante has always thought that you learn about how to be a more successful person/ a better person/ a better member of society by what you learn on the fields, the courts, and the pool. You learn how to win, lose, adjust on the fly, and how to strategize in intense settings, all things that ultimately help you in your life’s journey. Wall Street and the business world, in general, have always seen the parallels and benefits that tie to sports. Often deals are closed on the golf course or the tennis courts. It is common knowledge that in all industries, the hiring of former athletes is viewed as a brilliant strategy. He shares how sport can enhance relationships diplomatically as it once again can be the common denominator. At a recent event in Washington, D.C., Coach Paul spoke to a mixed group that included some government-appointed officials and it was clear that they see the value of sport as being a connector between a wide swath of peoples from different backgrounds, religions, and even countries. As a Coach for a national championship squash program that represents 25 different countries where young men live together, sweating, laughing and crying together and from lands where their respective parents teach hatred…sport is the COMMON DENOMINATOR! Or at the very least if addressed correctly, it can be.

Raising Balanced Kids in a Pressurized Society: For Educators, Parents, and Students 

A father of six and a coach to many, Paul has a lot to share about the importance of raising balanced kids. Educators and coaches have a unique opportunity to guide and mentor young people into productive adulthood. Paul has directly impacted many students' lives through his successful coaching principles. In this talk, Paul explains how today's high-pressure environment affects our kids and what parents and educators can do to help manage the delicate balance between:

• Controlling vs. letting kids take ownership of their journey 
• Motivating vs. pushing
• Rescuing vs. letting kids fail