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DEPUTY DIRECTOR’S LETTER<br />
Leadership Lessons from St. Valentine<br />
It’s <strong>February</strong> and love is in the<br />
air, thanks in part to good ole<br />
St. Valentine. While St. Valentine<br />
might be best known for<br />
inspiring cards to that special<br />
someone, chocolate, flowers,<br />
and messages on heartshaped<br />
candies, he also inspired<br />
lessons on leadership.<br />
The four basic tenets of St.<br />
Valentine and the two leadership<br />
lessons listed below<br />
are good daily reminders for<br />
leadership and life in general.<br />
The four basic love tenets of<br />
St. Valentine: Love is courageous.<br />
Love is kind. Love is<br />
thoughtful. Love is forever.<br />
Those inspiring and beautiful<br />
messages might remind<br />
us of the Biblical message in<br />
1 Corinthians Chapter 13. As<br />
public servants, showing a<br />
strong love for what we do<br />
and the people we represent<br />
is highly important. St.<br />
Valentine, through<br />
his actions and<br />
deeds as a clergyman<br />
fighting<br />
against<br />
the oppression<br />
of Roman<br />
Emperor<br />
Claudius<br />
Gothicus, added<br />
to the love lessons<br />
and led by example,<br />
including the following two<br />
tenets.<br />
1. Your values should always<br />
speak louder than your<br />
words.<br />
Today, we know this more<br />
as “our actions should speak<br />
louder than our words,”<br />
but our actions and words<br />
should be anchored around<br />
our values. Ralph Waldo Emerson<br />
once said, “What you<br />
do speaks so loud that I cannot<br />
hear what you say.” Our<br />
truest intentions and<br />
actions should be<br />
steeped in our<br />
values, which<br />
deserve a<br />
strong commitment<br />
from each<br />
of us. Anyone<br />
can talk a good<br />
talk, but having<br />
the courage of conviction<br />
to stand behind your<br />
words with well-meaning<br />
values and ideals should be<br />
at our very core.<br />
2. Know what you stand for<br />
and mean what you say.<br />
How can one be an effective<br />
leader if what a person stands<br />
for isn’t clear? Flip-flopping<br />
on beliefs, decisions, or issues<br />
creates confusion and<br />
distrust. Personal and professional<br />
ethics are critical,<br />
and leaders should make<br />
Richard Williams<br />
Deputy Director<br />
thoughtful yet firm decisions<br />
based on these ethics. The<br />
State of Louisiana recognizes<br />
the importance of ethics with<br />
the mandatory annual training<br />
for public officials. Ethics<br />
and character are often dictated<br />
not by what we do in<br />
public or while people are<br />
watching, but what we stand<br />
for in the small everyday decisions<br />
and issues that arise.<br />
Carrying on the tradition of<br />
service over self, character<br />
dictates that we choose sides<br />
that benefit people more<br />
than ourselves. To quote<br />
Thomas Jefferson: “In matters<br />
of style, swim with the current;<br />
in matters of principle,<br />
stand like a rock.”<br />
In honor of St. Valentine, I hope<br />
each of you takes the time to<br />
not only send the cards, and<br />
find the fun love messages on<br />
candy, but to also love as you<br />
lead, let your actions speak<br />
louder than your words, and<br />
lead with conviction, courage,<br />
and kindness.<br />
I look forward to seeing you<br />
all in Marksville later this<br />
month for our Mid-Winter<br />
Conference.<br />
Happy Valentine’s Day.<br />
LMR | FEBRUARY 2<strong>02</strong>4 Page 9
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