The best leadership speech

Dr. Ken Jones, Lubbock Christian University, gave the best leadership speech I've heard in a long time at the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus Conference in Lubbock today. Here are my notes I made at the time. It won't convey the warmth and humanity he poured into it, but I still wanted to share it.

Good leaders always seem to wear a smile, and with that smile they are always encouraging people.

I've watched people who do leadership harshly, and it just doesn't work.

He once opened his check for a speech, and thought, "it wasn't that good. I sent part of it back. I didn't send all of it back, it wasn't that bad!"

I have some insecurities. Does that surprise you? You have some, too, by the way.

People need encouragement.

Emotional well being. Give too much, too private, with a wall around you. You are going to wither away inside. Here's how you fix it: Find two people (or 3) who are safe (won't tell anyone else). One where you work, one outside. Not your spouse. You're unloading on them and killing them.

Work is not always going to be fun. There are going to be thorns and thistles. It may look greener somewhere else, but there will still be the same thing.

Great leaders are able to identify obstacles to the vision and get rid of them.

If you can't do leadership at home, don't try it at work.

Only 15% of people are truly goal oriented. The rest are problem solvers.

So pick the vision, then find the problems and the obstacles in the way. Remove the obstacles and the vision comes true.

There will always be problems, but keep removing the problems.

Keep encouraging the best you know how, take better care of yourself than you have in a long long time, and keep removing the obstacles.

Promised his grandfather at 94, that he would keep talking to people like this, and he is keeping his promise.