Gary "Doc" Sailes is the perfect choice for student leader and student athlete workshops, or any campus program focused on helping students to achieve more. 

From the Classroom to the Real World
Critical success strategies that college doesn’t teach you!

“You are what you think, you become what you believe!”

Each year, employers complain about the lack of readiness among new college graduates sighting a lack of professionalism, maturity and leadership experience. At some point, students will have to stop thinking and acting like college students and start preparing for entry into a competitive world where professional skills and attitude really matter. This program – suitable as a keynote or a smaller workshop – teaches college students the traits and personal skills employers identify as the most critical. In this, his most popular program, “Doc” shows students how to position themselves to get the most sought-after skills early in their college experience. Great for leadership events, student-athlete life skills series, fraternity/sorority programs, and more.

"Thank you for delivering such a dynamic opening speech.  Your presence and knowledge served as an inspiration to the men to be strong and courageous in their journey!"

Rochelle M. Collins

Director of Professional Development

NCAA

From the Locker Room to the Real World
Developed specifically for student athletes, this is Doc’s signature program. It provides a holistic approach to empowering the student athlete to become a peak performer in the classroom and on the athletic field. Student athletes will also learn how to manage their social relationships on campus – combatting negative race, gender and athlete stereotypes. Gary will share with them the peak performance strategies of world-class professional athletes. This keynote represents the culmination of more than 40 years of practical experience as a student athlete, coach, athletic director, sports scholar and consultant to the NCAA, NFL, NBA, and MLB. It takes the realities of the student athlete’s life into consideration, making it an especially effective choice for athletic department staff looking for a speaker who truly reaches their students.

Shaping the Landscape: Empowering Your Students of Color
Often, students of color feel uncomfortable, isolated, and unappreciated on their predominantly white college campuses. This very revealing, humorous and engaging seminar focuses on the issues with which these students most commonly struggle. Gary teaches students of color how to develop the personal coping skills and attitudes necessary to navigate through the college experience in a positive way. This is perfect for first-year experience programs geared toward students of color. Additionally, Gary can conduct a diversity audit of campus programs, organizations and facilities and make recommendations where gaps exist to improve campus diversity initiatives.

Making Your First Year Matter
The research is clear, nearly 20-percent of students never make it to graduation because of poor choices made during their initial years on campus. In his honest and revealing program, Gary Sailes draws on years as a professor, motivation expert and performance consultant to identify the traps, distractions and bad decisions that impact many students’ first years. What can they do right away to avoid academic failure? Additionally, Gary talks about the values, attitudes and priorities successful college students demonstrate, offering new students a game plan for success. All his ideas are presented in a fun and engaging keynote that is both entertaining and life changing.

Superstar Leadership Strategies
Student leaders don’t set out to fail but they often do because they do not have a clear understanding of basic human nature. Successful leaders know what their constituents need and they deliver. In this intensive leadership seminar, Gary helps student leaders go far beyond the basics of leadership and targets proven strategies that work. Students will learn how to combat procrastination and motivate their membership, how to create a loyal following, how to get projects and programs completed on time, and more. This is a great choice for student leadership conferences, athletics team captain training, and general organizational leadership retreats.