Coaching Your Kids to Be Leaders: The Keys to Unlocking Their Potential - Softcover

Pat Williams is senior executive vice president of the Orlando Magic and a popular speaker averaging over 100 appearances per year. He served as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers for 12 years. He has also been affiliated with the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. Pat has published a total of 19 books.

Jim Denney is the collaborating writer.

Williams—senior v-p of the NBA's Orlando Magic, former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, author (How to Be Like Mike) and a motivational speaker—draws on the lessons he's learned as a Christian, a father (of 19 biological and adopted children) and a sports executive in this book on training and inspiring children to become future leaders. After interviewing more than 500 well-known leaders, including Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, leadership guru John Maxwell and Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig, Williams concludes that effective leaders aren't born but made. He outlines seven steps to becoming an effective leader: "see a vision," "be a communicator," "build good people skills," "build good character," "build competence," "be bold" and "be a servant." Using Jesus as his model, Williams points out that the best leaders pursue their roles not for power but to serve. Not surprisingly, Williams claims that getting children involved in sports is the best way to begin teaching them leadership skills, but he also allows for other avenues, such as scouting and the arts. While Williams's core premise—that developing young leaders is a "top goal" for parents—is certainly arguable, readers who do place leadership high on their list of hopes for their children won't be disappointed by this amiable and instructive text.
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