Personal Hero

So I have been trying today to think of people in my own life that have been influential to me. I would not be justified if I failed to mention President Hinckley. He was a man of great faith and admiration. He inspired millions of people to be better and led the church with true leadership and inspiration. The far reaching effects of President Hinckley's testimony and life will resonate for decades. I know for me, he will always be the "prophet of my childhood." He was there when went through high school, I sent off my mission papers, joined the mission field, got married and started my family. I feel like those things happened and President Hinckley was personally a part of it. No one whom I never met personally has ever had that effect on me.

I see true leadership in the way he led the church. He was so kind and gentle and led in a way that was full of love and light.

I don't know why I am so drawn to people like President Hinckley that are great leaders. Perhaps it's the nature of true leadership to attract people to you and reveal their true potential.

I remembered watching this clip of Glenn Beck from CNN and feeling enormous respect for President Hinckley and admiration for Mr. Beck as he openly talks about his life and how Predident Hinckley changed his life through leadership and example. It probably takes more guts than we give him credit for to open his heart like that on national TV.


If you have someone that has influenced your life in the same way, please share your story.

Mohammed Yunus' Vision and Leadership

My Day with Dr. Covey

I would be remiss not to mention that I was privileged enough to be able to spend about 4 hours being instructed by Steven Covey this week. What an enlightened man. His teaching style was interesting-not overbearing and not boring. He left politics out of his decision making and looked to the higher purpose of life in everything he does and is so inspirational.

One things that I realized as he talked about his current projects was this; he is asked to participate in trainings and leadership counsels with countries all over the world. He is meeting with the president of Mexico soon, just got back from the South American continent and Asia and has in the course of his career counseled with some of the greatest minds and most influential and powerful people in the world. What he has to say and the way he changes your perception of yourself and those around you is simply profound. However, he is not utilized in his own country. After the conference, I discussed my thoughts with my father-in-law. We agreed that we may get more done in a day of congress if they were all forced to sit through 4 hours of leadership training by Dr. Covey.

So back to my thought. This man is a talented leader. He has enormous amounts of experience in both foreign relations, economic and social policy. As he talked to us. I wondered how our America could get someone with these leadership qualities to run for office.

Any of you that are thinking, "Oh great a motivational speaker as our next president, great idea Kirk!", let me explain. His thoughts are inspirational and I have sat through my fair share of "motivational speakers." This man is more than that. He is a leader.

When we are honest with ourselves, isn't the job of President of the United States a job that requires leadership? Someone who can build teams around him and bring out the hidden talents in those around him/her. I won't vote for someone because he's been in public office prior to his presidency. I also won't withhold my vote because of their lack of experience. If that person is a leader, these things won't matter.

We don't expect our dentists to know how to set a broken arm just because he's in the medical profession. We don't expect our plumber to know how to wire a basement just because he works construction. But somehow, probably because of the scope of his job, the President is expected to be an expert in all things at all times. Newsflash, no President will ever be completely prepared to lead the minute he's sworn in. Have you ever started a new job? Can you imagine the learning curve?

So if I had my pick, I would chose someone with a track record of humble leadership, success and significance in the business world and moral values that guide his decisions. To be honest, many of Dr. Covey's projects have a strong socialist component. However, each program's success is based on trust, hard work and individual success-not a hand-out. I believe Americans are capable of more than our current government gives us credit for.

We have a choice to overcome or ignore the metastasizing cancer of political turfism. We need a leader. We need a national goal. We don't need another partisan president. Our goals need to be communicated and then executed. If you were part of a team that didn't use your skills or talents to better the team or reach the goal, would you want to even be part of that team? No. I believe this is why so many Americans feel forgotten in our political system and are resentful of our politicians that claim to understand the "working class".

Every bright spot in our nation's history has been illuminated by a cause that brought every American closer through a common goal. What a powerful union our nation created when we defeated Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan. What a unity we created in the Apollo missions. What great patriotism was reveal after 9/11. These ideas have brought us together with great force. However, if we don't have a national goal to pull us together, we will be swallowed with up in bickering with the same force that coalesced around such great ideas of the past.

I learned this week that every break through is a break with an old way of thinking. What's your thought?