Posted: June 10th 2010
From Aberdeen American News:
Excellence, character and service - those make a strong leader, said U.S. Sen. John Thune.
Thune shared this with Boys State attendees, whom he called future leaders, on Tuesday at the Northern State University Johnson Fine Arts Center. This week, 435 South Dakota boys are in Aberdeen for Boys State, which is in its 68th year.
On Tuesday, Thune, who attended Boys State in 1978, said the three ingredients of strong leaders are:
- Commitment to excellence: This differs from perfectionism; it has to do with the process, not the results.
- Commitment to a life of character: This has to do with the kind of person you are. He encouraged the boys to lead by example - once you lose your character, it's hard to recover it. A person of character does the right thing even if it's not popular, he said.
- Commitment to service: Being committed to making a difference in the lives of other people - realizing it's not all about you.
...
Addressing another question, Thune said the nation is $13 trillion in debt. The government can't continue to spend more than it has, he said.
"You guys get stuck paying for it."
