President’s Pen – September 2023
Convention season is upon us, and the next few weeks will be busier than ever. I look forward to gathering with conservative friends during the NFRW Convention September 28th – October 1st, and our TFRW Convention October 12 – 14th.
Following up on my August article, I am focusing on the “Iron Sharpens Iron” concept shown in our convention video. While “Iron Sharpens Iron” is a simple statement, it resonates deeply the ideas of leadership, personal growth, and the pursuit of excellence. Just as a piece of iron can be used to sharpen another, we can become better versions of ourselves through supporting one another, accepting challenges together and being united in accomplishing shared goals.
I came across a beautiful visual of community strength that can be found in a Leadership Alive article:
“The Redwoods that grow in Northern California are known to reach almost 350 feet tall. But that’s not what’s amazing. It’s the roots—they are only six to 12 feet deep and they spread out horizontally 50 to 80 feet on each side of the tree! The reason the giant redwoods don’t fall over in stormy weather is that their root systems are intertwined with each other. The roots from other surrounding trees actually support the lone redwood swaying in the wind. It’s the grove of trees and the roots of the surrounding redwoods that support the individual trees. In times of stress, they can lean on the others.”
I hope you have found this type of support through your TFRW relationships; I know I have. We are all leaders and should always strive for ways to support and bring out the best in others. Some of the ways to do this include:
- Show genuine care for one another and build lasting relationships.
- Provide clear expectations and engage in honest conversations.
- Praise in public and correct in private.
- Discover and then develop people’s strengths and passions.
- Share the credit.
- Speak vision and possibility to people and share leadership opportunities.
- Have fun!
As I said above, I can’t wait to be together in Oklahoma City and Irving where we will hear from informative speakers, take care of the necessary business of our organization, and reconnect with friends and build new friendships. Just as iron is forged, our convention will provide the opportunities where we can create a better, more resilient, and more accomplished version of ourselves thereby strengthening our organization to accomplish our goal of Keeping Texas RED.
Building Strong Leaders for Texas!
Kit Whitehill
TFRW President
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
– Proverbs 27:17
