From his study of leadership, Pat Williams is convinced that there are seven sides to being an effective leader. The first is vision, or the ability to see down the road. Next is a gift for communicating that vision. Williams also says that people skills are an important leadership trait. This includes a true heart for people and a genuine interest in their lives. The next three qualifications are character, competence and boldness.

As the senior vice president of the NBA’s Orlando Magic, Williams certainly has built a lengthy career by displaying a high level of acumen in those six areas. But it’s the seventh characteristic that he says makes the better-than-average leader a great leader.

Our girls’ volleyball team just won state, and it was so exciting! Seeing their hard work, dedication, sheer talent and determination all come to fruition was amazing. These girls were united as a team and stood strong in the face of some very tough competition. They also had a great coach leading them and the full support of the student cheering section, which traveled across the state on several weekends in order to cheer the girls on.

It was just a matter of time. But even though it was inevitable, we saw it coming. My kids had a pet rabbit for many years. They loved the rabbit and took great care of it. However, over the years, as activities increased and life got busier for three growing children, it become difficult for them to find time to feed the rabbit. I covered for them occasionally, but the rabbit simply did not get the food it needed. One day, we went to the cage to find a motionless rabbit. It had died. The kids didn’t mean to starve it, or even want to see their pet die. But when you don’t feed a rabbit, it dies.

It’s only a few minutes before tip-off. We hear the band playing to get the crowd excited for the game, and we look around the locker room and watch our players trying to get into the zone. We’ve worked hard to get them prepared, but something isn’t clicking because the team has the pregame jitters. Maybe they think they aren’t as skilled as the opponent, or perhaps they lack confidence in the game plan. It could be fear of failing while fans and media are watching, or fear of not measuring up to personal expectations. Whatever the reason, the result is the same: worry and a lack of focus.

Pain gets our attention. When our bodies get injured, infected, or hurt, pain forces us to take action toward healing. If there were no pain, we would not take steps to mend the injury, resulting in further damage. Pain forces us to respond to emotional ailments as well. How we respond determines what kind of change we will see. Often we try to numb the pain and feel better for a while; but eventually the problems return. However, if we take action, we can find healing and restoration. The pain is difficult, but in it can be found blessings.

Many times on the Christian journey, we sense God calling us to do something. Sometimes, though, the task seems too great or our resources seem too small. Other times, God’s call can feel overwhelming and cause us to doubt whether we really heard Him at all. Thankfully, He has given us His Scriptures to speak directly to our fears and doubts when it comes to matters related to His call.

At the beginning of every football season, Coach Tom Landry would give his players his priorities: God, family and football, in that order. By keeping these priorities, he avoided the madness and chaos that often consume a coach’s life.