Director of Athletics at Ryerson University, Award-Winning Performance Coach, Leadership and Cultural Transformation Expert
Dr. Ivan Joseph is a six-time Coach of the Year recipient and Director of Athletics at Ryerson University. He is a sought-after speaker on developing personal and organizational leadership. His popular Tedx talk on the skill of self-confidence has garnered over 7 million views. Dr. Ivan Joseph leads individuals, teams, and organizations to success.
Keynote Speaker
An award-winning coach and educator, Dr. Joseph is a sought-after speaker on developing personal and organizational leadership. Dynamic and inspiring, he speaks about self-confidence, embracing the “grit” to persevere in spite of setbacks, and leading teams to success, drawing from the lessons he’s learned from a life in sport.
Ryerson University
In his current role as Director of Athletics at Ryerson University, Dr. Joseph is guiding the transformation of the Ryerson Rams athletic department, while raising the academic average of his athletes and increasing team performance. He also recently completed a $100 million dollar renovation of historic Maple Leaf Gardens–a project so big and inspiring that Prime Minister Stephen Harper himself showed up to turn on the lights.
Graceland University
While serving as a professor and soccer coach at Graceland University, Dr. Joseph developed the school’s soccer program from the ground up, leading both the men’s and women’s teams to a #1 national ranking–and the men’s team to a national championship–in just five years. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics recognized Dr. Joseph as their National Coach of the Year in 2006, and he received Coach of the Year recognition from the Heart of America Athletic Conference three times. He was recruited to Graceland as a student-athlete in 1993.
In addition to coaching and teaching, Joseph spearheaded the creation of a premier multi-field soccer complex at Graceland. He raised significant private and public funds to build the facility, endow scholarships, enhance programs and organize international matches for his teams in Brazil, Canada, and Europe. He has traveled domestically and internationally to recruit student athletes, and is a sought-after speaker on leadership and confidence development.
Book
His book, You Got This: Mastering the Skill of Self-Confidence, takes uplifting stories, and lays down a step-by-step process and exercises to develope positive thinking, resilience, and focus which all lead to a deepening of self-confidence.
Education
Born in Guyana, Ivan Joseph grew up in Toronto where he was a nationally ranked high-school track and field athlete. He has a BA in Physical Education and Health from Graceland, a MS in Higher Education Administration from Drake University, and a PhD in Sports Psychology from Capella University.
Self Confidence
It takes self-confidence to get things done. In fact, that is how Ivan Joseph defines self-confidence: The ability to accomplish the task at hand. Using visualization and other exercises, he helps people get a sense of the current level of their self-confidence. In this fascinating and research-based talk, Ivan Joseph discusses: • The attributes of self-confident people • How to develop self confidence • Giving feedback that builds self confidence • Self-talk and self-affirmation • Interpreting failure With a Ph.D. in sports psychology, Ivan Joseph shares studies that apply in business and life. He put these studies to use in his work – he coached at the World Championships and took a collegiate soccer team from a losing record to the National Championship in just 5 years. In this dynamic and engaging keynote, audiences gain specific tips and take-aways to build their own and others' self-confidence.
Leadership Tools for Team Excellence
High performing teams have similar attributes. Using examples of business people and his own coaching experience, NAIA National Coach of the Year Ivan Joseph shares four key tools for team excellence. Grit. Grit is the ability to persevere despite setbacks to accomplish a task. Grit is an attribute of many successful people. In fact, grit is a higher predictor of success than many other factors including intelligence, hard work – over 112 other factors measured. Grit is an attribute we can develop in ourselves, and coach for in others. Ivan shares how to develop grit. Most importantly we should praise the effort, the diligent work – that is what builds grit. Focus. Goals are a part of focus, yet we get caught up in the distractions. Learning to maintain focus in the face of distractions leads to higher performance. Cohesion. Leadership and teamwork is all about relationships. High performing teams are more cohesive and value relationships. Ivan Joseph shares examples of how to build community, the importance of touch, and exercises he uses. Talent for the Task. Great leaders must be adept at identifying and putting the right person with the needed skillset in the right role. And, the role must be enticing for the person. In this highly interactive talk, leaders learn tips and tools to help their teams achieve a higher level of performance.
The Pygmalion Effect
In business, life, and parenting, the Pygmalion Effect is at work in how we lead and interact with others. Too often, "good enough" is what we accept from others. People often only achieve the minimum expectations we set for them. But if those you lead aren't performing at the highest level – look within. We don't even know we're doing it. Each of us transmits subtle cues to others about what we expect – and people do what we expect of them. The greater the expectation, the better people perform. Our beliefs determine our accomplishments. Once Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile, within the next six months a number of other did too, with no special training. Ivan Joseph was a good soccer coach – in the top 10 – but he wanted to be a great coach. In this dynamic talk, he shares what he did to help his team gradually improve their performance while at the same time improving their grades. His team won the National Championship, and he was recognized as Coach of the Year. The tips and lessons you'll learn in this talk are ones you'll apply in your business and your life.
Building Employee Engagement Towards a Culture of Change
Understanding and Valuing Diversity in the Work Place
You Got This! Finding Your Transcendent Purpose
All Ivan Joseph Books
