Denis Waitley: Integrity - Leadership - Excellence

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How it started

Born in San Diego, California as the oldest of three children, Denis had to learn to take responsibility early on in life. 

At the age of 9, his father left the family and Denis became the man of the house. With his mom being a factory worker it wasn’t easy to feed all of her children.

Denis frequently brought sandwiches to school filled only with some lettuce, mayonnaise, pepper, and salt. 

He asked his mom, What is this?, to which she replied, It's a chicken sandwich, only without the chicken. 

Suffering from low self-esteem and self-confidence, Denis found his first role model in his grandmother. 

She taught him the principle of planting seeds of greatness, that you should water and maintain in order to become great. 

The many lessons Denis his grandmother taught would later on become the foundation for the success Denis achieved.

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How it evolved

After finishing high school, Denis attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis to become a naval aviator. 

After serving some years, Denis went on leaving the Navy.

The career he pursued following his retreat, varied from representative to fundraiser.

While being uncertain of his own future, Denis started to study human behaviour and psychology. 

In which he holds a doctorate degree in human behaviour. 

In 1976, Denis recorded the basis for what became his best-selling audio program, The Psychology of Winning. 

Two years later, he released the audio program, which sold more than 2 million copies and generated around $100 million in revenue. 

After the great success of his first audio program, Denis became chairman of psychology for the U.S. Olympic Committee's Sports Medicine Council. 

Continuing to enhance performance of various groups of people from 1980 to 2000. He educated sportspeople, returning prisoners of war, the navy, heads of state, and students of all ages.

During this 20-year period, Denis released more than 15 books, including Seeds of Greatness and The Winner's Edge.

Denis also was a founding member of the National Council for Self-Esteem and president of the International Society for Advanced Education. 

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The Waitley Institute 

Denis kept on working and researching human behaviour and decided he would need his very own institution to do so. 

In 1996, Denis Waitley founded The Waitley Institute in La Jolla, California. This is a global consulting firm specialising in high performance. The Waitley Institute researches science, university-based studies, and case studies related to neuroscience. 

Success followed as Denis and his daughter started to counsel astronauts and movie stars while also being a consultant and keynote lecturer for corporations like Dell Computer, IBM, Toyota, Walmart and Mercedes. 

The three words that are integrated into the logo of the Waitley Institute are: Integrity - Leadership - Excellence.

Closing Remarks

The humble background of Denis Waitley is an inspiration to anyone who wants to get more out of their lives. 

His broad insights has shaped the lives of many population groups and helped them achieve greatness. The seeds that he planted through the wise words of his grandmother sure came to yield a great harvest. 

Some books by Denis Waitley:

The Psychology Of Winning (1979)

Seeds of Greatness (1983)

Being the Best (1987) 

The New Dynamics of Winning (1993)

Psychology of Success (2003)

Safari to the Soul (2004)

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