Leadership
October 16, 2019
Foster City continues to give back to all of us who are fortunate to live here. Many years ago, my family, like you, chose to live here and we doubled down. We decided to invest in our community, open a business here and serve in a variety of ways including philanthropy and public service.
Day one I joined the Chamber of Commerce, volunteered to serve on the Citizen Park and Recreation Committee, taught Goal Achievement Seminars in every elementary school, conducted free classes at Kindercare and Kids Connection, and worked with children who were at risk and had been part of the Judicial system.
It is simply the Leadership I was taught and had learned from my single parent mother and strict father-figure Taekwondo Master. They led by example and did not equivocate. “No is No” and “Yes is Yes.” They led by example.
Fast forward to today, after fifteen years in Foster City, the young trees we planted have blossomed into great young leaders. My three and four year olds students are now young college students at prestigious institutions like Stanford, MIT, Cal, NYU, Cal Poly, UCLA, Medical schools, and USC just to name a few. I have had the pleasure to write those letter of recommendations and to have played a small part in the success of our collective family.
Leadership is the ability to inspire others to be better than they thought they could be. It is the ability to bring clarity of vision with a purpose of forethought. It is strength in character based upon a historical knowledge of success in action and thought. It is uncompromising and does not equivocate to the winds of political opinion and situational ethics. It is firm and bound in ethics, not opportunism.
I am reminded of one young student in particular who is finishes their last year at Stanford and then off to Medical School. They shared their thoughts on the path they took and our part in their development. The words and actions we do daily and with habit are the words and actions that shape them for a lifetime.
Over the years, I have been unwilling to compromise my integrity for political or financial gain. I have tackled the difficult and challenging issues others shy away from. I have held staff and my colleagues to higher and the highest standards. Public service is not a gift; it is a calling.
What the young students I have taught for the past forty-three years have learned is integrity lasts a lifetime. Actions speak louder than words. Hold yourself to higher standards even if others can’t, won’t, or don’t.
I was a member of the USOC Board of directors when Tonya Harding decided to kneecap Nancy Kerrigan. The Board took action quickly and correctly, as it should. However, I was fascinated by the phenomenon and choices Harding made.
Her choice to become an Olympian led her to do illegal and unethical activities. She could have simply trained harder or skated better. Instead, she traded her soul and goodness for the possibility of Olympic glory. I never understood that. These days, this is the modus operandi in politics.
The path to success is based upon preparation, education, implementation, and activation. When the Goal is more important than the method, you have lost.
I am proud to serve not to stay elected but to be ethical and represent our community and its interest. I do so by running faster, not by being Tonya Harding.
Everyday we all serve as role models for our children and others. The flowers we plant soak up the sun we shine or the darkness we create. I will continue to be the light and not be the darkness others have cast.
