Leadership Excellence

by Pat Williams, Jim Denney

Updated and Expanded with Brand New Stories and Fresh Insights!  Succeeding at leading—find out how in Pat Williams’ “ultimate leadership book.” You’ll learn the essential skills to help your people achieve, in whatever setting you serve. Leadership Excellence draws upon leaders of history and the present—in business, sports, religion, and politics—to distill great principles that apply to leaders of any age, background, and setting. You’ll benefit from years of experience and hundreds of interviews by Williams, senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, as you’re exposed to leadership’s seven sides: vision, communication, people skills, character, competence, boldness, and most importantly, a servant’s heart.  Includes forwards by legendary football coach Bobby Bowden and General Tommy Franks.

Genres: Leadership, Business

335 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

Patrick Livingston Murphy Williams was an American sports executive, who served as senior vice president of the Orlando Magic. Williams began his career as a minor league baseball player, and later joined the front office of his team. In the late 1960s he moved into basketball, with his biggest achievements being the 1983 title of the Philadelphia 76'ers and being a partner in the creation of the Orlando Magic.

Reviews

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is one of those cases where it's not the book, it's probably me, but I've read so many stronger, concise, cohesive narratives on leadership development and skills acquirement. This wasn't among the strongest ones I've perused when taking it from a business narrative, sport related, or skill development standpoint. For a faith based one, it was also just okay. That doesn't mean that I don't give Pat Williams credit for the merits of "Leadership Excellence", nor for how he expounds on the seven aspects of leadership he delineates within the work. Drawing from his coaching and personal experiences, as well as examples in famous leaders and figures, he breaks down the development of leadership into the following aspects:

1. Vision
2. Communication
3. People Skills
4. Character
5. Competence
6. Boldness
7. A Serving Heart

He takes the time to discuss each of these particular aspects through the narrative in a Chapter-by-Chapter form. I think the problem that I saw with this narrative wasn't the personal stories or the examples he gives, because those were inspiring to read in spurts. I think the organization of the narrative probably shortchanged the messages Williams put across. It felt a bit weighted in that he started with general examples of leadership and then drew the chapter to a close with specific pointers to summarize the details.

It probably would've worked better if the narrative had been in reverse, especially for people who are new to learning about the aspects of leadership and how to apply them - which is what this work encompasses. In narratives of the same type as Williams's work here - authors usually have a template of guidelines to follow in order to follow with the idea of why that aspect is important and then give examples where it is applied to drive the idea/characterization/aspect home. I find that approach more helpful not only to give weight to the aspect being covered, but also punctuate the personal narratives and general applications that are given in the work. So in retrospect, I think this narrative ran a bit long for me, despite measures where I was able to take from William's experiences, professional and personal. I'll admit I do respect learning more about the man behind a plethora of life dimensions, coaching experiences, and reflections on leadership, but it didn't hit home for me as much as I would've liked.

Overall score: 2.5/5 stars

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Barbour Publishing.

[Jim Serger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book--why?----this author has written over 60 books, has 19 children(14 adopted)--VP of Orlando Magic, gives hundreds of speeches a year accross the country--and yet he still has time to write this book. In January 2011 Pat was diagnosed with cancer in the blood, and his mission was remission--yet for one year Pat wrote 4 books, traveled and spoke at events, continued to be a huge participant in his church, still continued to deal with the NBA lock out, still had to deal with every day demands and yet this man had time to write this wonderful book. This book is a testimony to all leaders and future leaders on why we never give up on anything...it is a an object of faith, courage and overall a message of hope that is delivered to millions of people. The 7 sides of Leadership that Pat put in this book, is what he has done for over 70 years---from his boy hood in Deleware, to his college days at Wake Forest and Indiana, to his baseball days in Miami Florida, South Carolina, his days in the Army, his being a general manager with the Philidelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, and co-founder of the Orlando Magic.....this man,a leader has shown to many a far, what it means to put the 7 sides of leadership in motion--this book will help anyone grow, learn and apply these traits in their own lives... pick this book up, pick it up and grow and learn for a great leader---and man who today on Febuary 21st has put his cancer into remission---why?--becasue he has faith, strength, courage and a heart of gold-- he wants to contuniue growing and sharing his actions with others so they can grab the bull by the horns and finish strong as he did.....if you ever get a chance to catch this person live and in person, I encourage you to do so, if not pick up this book or any other he has written and grow your life---and more important it will grow other peoples lives as well....Leadership Excellence---what a powerful book written by a man who has been through it all....a man of great CHARACTER.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must be totally honest with the reader of this review to say I really wasn't that impressed with this book. However, I may not be the best person for the job of reviewing it, as I was pretty tough on it and coming in more from a professional view. With this book, it truly depends on who the authors' target audience was when it was written. I found the book to really be a primer in leadershp for an audience who doesn't know what leadership is or how it is defined, i.e. a general audience, or is new to a leadership position. If you have an person who has been in a leadership role, this information would not be useful or would be redundant or known.

As someone with a MBA with one of my concentrations being in Leadership Development, like the author, I have read extensively on this subject and use this information in the coaching of those in leadership positions. One thing I have learned about those in leadership roles, they like "information" to come the point. In other words, no wordiness. Unfortunately for this book, there is alot of wordiness, which detracts from the message the author is trying to express.

So my final ratings would be for a general audience~3 stars
For a business audience~1 star...thus 2 stars

[Bill Welte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any leader worth his or her salt needs to add Pat's book to their arsenal of leadership tools. One of the best, practical and easy to apply leadership books I have read. I will be tweeting many quotes from his book. And I picked up at least a half dozen other titles that Pat recommends. If you've never read any of Pat's books, please don't miss these treasures.

[SJ L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up in a used book store (because I can’t help myself in used book stores) because I wanted another perspective into what it means to be a leader (I’m compiling different frameworks) and because it hadn’t been read (you can tell by how fresh the pages are whether or not someone thumbed through). I’ll cover the content in the book momentarily, but this part is rather interesting. When I get back to the thinking cave (home) and I start reading more thoroughly, a note falls out of the book. The note was written by a father to his son, this book must have been a gift. In part it read:
“…the book is an interesting read and I think you will get a lot out of it. And see if you can get Julia and later, the boys, to read it. There is a lot in it that I wish that I had payed closer attention to when it mattered. Lots of love, Dad.”
It appears the level of their relationship wasn’t enough to inspire reading the book. The impact of the note, not even noted. “I wish I had closer attention to when it mattered” a sober reminder that each moment is an instant we can invest in ourselves and the other people around us (or an app, we choose), and you better do it before it’s too late. No better way to stress the importance of character, leadership, and putting ideas into action in the present than a forgotten note stressing things could have been different.
Children, read books your parent gives you. Fathers and mothers, ask your kids what books have inspired them and read these books. Everyone, live the life you envision living now, not later. Self, stop rambling.
About the content of the book. It’s pretty sound, highly abstract, fairly vague, extensive without really worry about a bullet proof definition, but sound if you’re not going to nitpick. It’s story based, most stories from sports and business, so if you’re a data snob or a not a sports fan you may not like it. To me, the fascinating thing about leadership and character and concepts such as excellence is that they can’t be quantified. That either annoys you or inspires you. If that inspires you, you may enjoy the book.
Here’s where he’s coming from: American existentialism, virtue ethics approach, mixed with a pretty strong dose of Christianity.
The author discusses seven traits, which he calls skills, leaders embody. A note on skills, traits, and abilities. A skill is teachable quickly, building an ability takes greater time and effort, and a trait is your born inclination towards reaching that end result. Some people have leadership qualities you can just sense (that’s a trait they have), but true leaders are built, forging their natural strength into something greater (ability) through time and effort. So I disagree that these seven attributes are skills, I think they are principles (abstract concepts) made concrete through examples and stories.
His seven main principles are: vision, communication, people skills, character, competence, boldness, and a serving heart. Each principle is broken down further, for example, competence has fifteen additional components: problem solving, selling, continuous learning, teaching, team-building, organizational planning, change management, balance, charisma, historical awareness, authority, judgement, authenticity, and patience. So as you can imagine things become rather crowded. But he’s not making an academic thesis, he’s being comprehensive and exhaustive because different messages resonate with different audiences.

Like I said, it’s not comprehensive, and it’s a bit outdated and Christian specific, but overall, an enjoyable read. You can discover all kinds of interesting stories along the way, whether or not you agree with all the points made.

Quotes
Men and women of vision are people who have trained themselves to look over the horizon, to see what doesn’t yet exist, to see things others can’t see. Visionary leaders see earlier than others, farther than others, and more than others. Then they assemble teams of followers who catch that vision and hammer those dreams into reality…a leader starts with a vision and then works backward from that vision, figuring out each step it will take to turn that vision into a reality. 35
Sometimes the future is clouded by today’s turbulent events. But even when we cannot see very far ahead, our vision keeps us focused on the way we should go. Novelist E.L. Doctrow puts it this way: “It’s like driving a car at night. You never see farther than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” 38
Gallup: “Great leaders rally people to a better future.” 40
[About overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds] John F. Kennedy “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project…will be more exciting, or more impressive to mankind, or more important...and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.” [I sure miss the days of inspiring visions from our politicians] 43
John Adams letter to his wife on July 4, 1776: “I am apt to believe that [the 4th] will be celebrated by succeeding Generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorate…it ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory.” 51
According to oral tradition, the Cathedral of Seville [Spain] exists today because a religious leader – a dignitary of the cathedral chapel whose name has been lost to history – stood up in a meeting and shared his vision with the other members of the chapter. He said, “let us build a church so great that those who come after us may think us made to have attempted it!” Now that is vision. 52
The purpose of leadership is to organize and motivate people to do the impossible and the unthinkable. As Walt Disney once observed, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” 52
Many wonderful ideas are strangled in the cradle because our inner critic says, “you can’t do that!” Little children look up in the sky and see castles, faces, dinosaurs. Grown-ups look at the sky and see only clouds. You’ve got to regain the ability to see the wonder and endless possibilities of the world around you. 53
Former GE head Jack Welch put it this way” “Every idea you present must be something you could get across easily at a cocktail party with strangers.” Welch echoed the ancient wisdom of the Bible: “Write a vision and make it plan upon a tablet so that a runner can read it” (Habakkuk 2:2 CEB). 57
[Cool story] When Walt Disney was building Disneyland, his architects and construction managers told him that the most efficient and cost-effective way to build the park was to construct the outlying sections first and build the Sleeping Beauty Castel last…Building the castle last would eliminate weeks of construction time and save tons of money. Disney listened to the experts and replied, “Build the castle first.” Why did Walt Disney reject the advice of his experts? He wanted the construction crews to see the castle at all times…He wanted every carpenter, mason, and heavy equipment operator to buy into his vision. To this day, the Sleeping Beauty Castel at Disneyland is the visual symbol of the Walt Disney Company. 61
Victor Franel: “If you treat people to a vision of themselves, if you apparently overrate them, you make them become what they are capable of becoming. If you apparently overrate them, you make them become what they are capable of becoming. If you can take them as they should be, you can help them become what they can be.” 61 [Nietzsche has almost an identical quote about this, “within each of us lies a powerful commander, an unknown wise man. That wise man is you.”]
Gardner recounts a conversation he had in 1967 with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a seminar on education.: “The woman leading the seminar had entitled her talk ‘First, Teach Them to Read.’ King leaned over to me and said, ‘First, teach them to believe in themselves.’ 61
Dave Kraft: “One of the primary roles of an effective leader for the twenty-first century is that of vision caster. This would include crafting and birthing a vision, through creative communication. The leader doesn’t do it alone, but should be the primary point person for this communication. I have yet to see any success when the leader delegates the responsibility for the caretaking of the vision to a board or committee. It is the leader’s responsibility to ensure the vision is kept before the people.” 68
Dwight D. Eisenhower: “Pessimism never won a battle.” 79
Harry Truman: “I have never seen pessimists make anything work, or contribute anything of lasting value. It take idealists to make the world work.” 81
[April 4, 1968, the assassination of MLK. Fascinating story, presidential candidate Robert F. Kenney flew into Indianapolis to speak at a black church. When he found out about the assassination he was about to go deliver the speech and his advisors urged him to cancel the appearance. Kennedy ignored their advice, and spoke without prepared remarks to the congregation. You can watch this on You Tube, and you can hear people shout out and start crying when he announces MLK has been killed (this is before instant connectivity, Kennedy was breaking the news to his audience). He delivered this speech, and Indianapolis was the only major city in the USA that did not riot that night. Thank you Professor Melvin Ely at William and Mary for teaching me about that. Sorry, the speech!] We can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge….or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, [with] compassion and love…We have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand…what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.”88
Joh Friel: “My job [as CEO] is to create the environment for people to be successful.”
Eisenhower: “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” 120
If you want to lead people, be prepared to outwork them. I call it having “what else?” mind-set. A diligent leader is always thinking, “What else can I do? What else can I offer?” 156
Thomas Watson: “Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” 162
“There’s no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.” 177

[Alyssa Muender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pat gives concise leadership insight, and very practical application points. Its easy to read as he gives a lot of stories and illustrations. I've heard him speak in person as well and I appreciate his leadership style a lot. Highly recommend for people in all leadership capacities.

[Helen Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book got off to an excellent start and then chapter one was a struggle, however once you get over the that hump this book is hard to put down. I am not a great fan of “how to” books but this one, with its great examples of how people have used the principals is well worth the read. To me, it’s not just about leadership but more about pastoral care and that is a subject that is really close to my heart. This book should be read by every leader, pastor, parent and business owner. It gets four stars only because of its difficult starting chapter.

[Jonathan Stefanopoulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read. I have recommended and purchased this book for many people. Great examples and applications on effective leadership qualities while also including great stories on various leaders that include sports, war heroes, teachers, and presidents. Pat Williams is an expert on leadership.

[David Huff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good summary of timeless leadership concepts. It included a great number of real life anecdotes and stories, to help the reader see these how these principles have worked in the lives of some well known people.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read in a while on leadership. I especially enjoyed the use of my personal heroes throughout.

[Bill Hagaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. The seven sides of leadership are very intuitive but we all forget to practice them. Pat lays out his arguments form successful leadership very clearly and concisely.