THE TAKEAWAY Notes from the best talks you missed
By Cameron Colby, senior environmental, health and safety consultant at Life & Safety Consultants Inc. Hillier, commander of the Canadian forces during their aid to the U.S. following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, thanking his troops during a Christmas meal. Hillier had re-instilled pride in the Canadian troops during his tenure as their leader. “You can only lead if you’re willing to walk beside your troops,” he told Wilkins, for “he who thinks he leads but has no followers is only on a walk.”
COURAGE: “Courage is grace under pressure.” – Ernest Hemingway
‘Be a leader worth following’ David Wilkins, former U.S. ambassador to Canada, shares lessons in leadership from “an ordinary guy” David H. Wilkins is a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, where he chairs the Public Policy and International Law practice group, focusing primarily on representing business on both sides of the U.S.-Canada. A lifelong resident of South Carolina, sans four years in Ottawa, Wilkins received his bachelor’s degree WHAT: The Greenville Chamber’s Friday Forum Series WHEN: June 27, 2014 WHERE: Embassy Suites Golf Resort & Conference Center FEATURE PRESENTATION: “Lessons in Leadership: What an ordinary guy learned through extraordinary experiences and special people” with David Wilkins, former United States ambassador to Canada WHO WAS THERE: 200+ members of Greenville’s business community
from Clemson University. He is currently serving a lifetime seat on the Clemson Board of Trustees. He earned his law degree from the University of South Carolina and subsequently joined the ranks of the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant. Wilkins’ political career began in 1980 when he was elected to the S.C. House of Representatives. By 1994, Wilkins had worked his way through the ranks, making history by becoming the first Republican to be elected Speaker of the House since Reconstruction. He retired from the House in 2005 after President George W. Bush appointed him to serve a four-year term as U.S. ambassador to Canada. Wilkins credits his style of leadership not only to God-given ability, but to the people and experiences encountered throughout his journey. “Leadership,” Wilkins stated, “like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder.”
Shortly after 9/11, David Wilkins and his son Robert stood in the Oval Office, face to face with America’s commander in chief. President George W. Bush was not elected as a wartime president, but he was going to shoulder it. Without anxiety or angst, the president remarked that he didn’t know whether Americans would stay with him or not, but he was going to do what he had to do to bring reassurance during those tough days. Through and through, he remained steady at the wheel.
SELFLESSNESS: “Leadership is not the position you hold, it’s about the people you touch.” David Wilkins still recalls the number tattooed on the forearm of David Shentow, lone survivor of his family in the Nazi death camps: 72585. To this day, Shentow remembers the exact moment he thought his life was all but over, only to be rescued hours later by an American G.I. offering him a piece of gum. It was an agonizing time for Shentow, as it was for 11 million other Jewish families, and it is agonizing to this day for him to remember the harrowing details, but he retells his story to the masses every day. Why? Wilkins shared, “History repeats itself, and if not him – who? If not now – when? Leaders can be born of the deepest scars.”
HUMILITY: “The best leaders are the most faithful servants.”
RELATIONSHIPS: “Trust is the essence of leadership.” – Colin Powell
In a trip to Afghanistan in 2007, Wilkins remembers General Rick
Relationships matter. How you treat people matters. The relationship
July 11, 2014
between Ambassador Wilkins and Canada’s Prime Minister Steven Harper was one that would lead to the swift and decisive termination of decades of dispute over lumber tariffs with Canada. The relationship was one of trust that Ambassador Wilkins had the best interest of both counties in mind, and that the decision was the right one.
PREPAREDNESS: “Be a leader worth following.” What David Wilkins recalls most about working with then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was the effort she took to always be prepared, no matter the topic or situation. She always left him feeling challenged and wanting to push himself harder. She put in the time to be prepared and well versed in the things she was engaged in, and in turn encouraged those she led to follow in her steps. Perhaps the most compelling takeaway from Ambassador Wilkins’ address was simple, but powerful: “Leadership is not a talent one possesses, but a gift one has to give.” It’s safe to say that everyone in attendance left that morning asking themselves, “How am I making things better for the people who follow me?”
Photos by Mandy Madigan, Clemson University
E N G A G E JULY
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GREENVILLE CHAMBER FRIDAY FORUM SERIES
Featuring Tim Pecoraro from the idea group, 2013 Chamber Minority Business of the Year Information: greenvillechamber.org
UPSTATE BUSINESS JOURNAL
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