Greitens addresses leadership, ethics
 BY NATHAN FULTON
BOYS STATE CITIZEN
INGLE CITY
After three nights of high profile political
speakers, MBS welcomed versatile jack-of-all-trades Eric Greitens with exhausted
but excited curiosity on Tuesday. Greitens,
who has served as
both a White House
Fellow and a Navy
Seal, managed to do
the impossible by
surpassing expectations.
As both a
valiant warrior and
a compassionate
humanitarian, Greitens
drew upon his
previous experiences
to communicate his
important messages
regarding ethics and
leadership.
One of Greitens’
most persistent messages
was a focus
on clarity of mind
when faced with
fear. His training as
a Navy Seal served
as an impetus for his discussion. He used
various evolutions in his training as a Navy
Seal to provide examples of how leaders
both succeed and fail. These metaphors
did more than define leadership for the
citizens of MBS, it provided them with an
understanding of the essence of leadership.
Greitens used those same metaphors
to show how leaders fail, and the pitfalls
that await the citizens of MBS.
Although his speech was filled with
powerful metaphors taken from his training
as a Navy Seal,
Greitens infused
lessons that he
picked up from
more humanitarian
experiences. He
spoke about what
chaos and oppression
have taught him
about leadership.
The courage displayed
by those who
helped the people of
Rwanda served as
a device that once
again uncovered the
essence of leadership.
His reflections on the
Tiananmen Square
protesters provided
citizens with a context
with which to
understand courage
and determination. The combination of
experiences that he used made his speech
universally appealing.
The diversity in Greitens’ address mirrored
the diversity that serves as a hallmark
of the MBS program. Greitens
stressed this diversity in his speech. He
stated that, upon retrospection, his ability
to understand those who came from different
walks of life was an important lesson
that MBS taught him.
As Greitens moved into the question
and answer part of his speech, he pleased
citizens with comprehensive but compact
answers. The array of questions that were
answered professionally made his history
as a Duke and Rhodes Scholar obvious.
He outlined a plan for multilateral aid to
Darfur, which focused on indigenous and
international allies. Shortly after, Greitens
provided his analysis on the importance of
service to true leadership by analyzing his
experiences as a White House Fellow. He
was also given the opportunity to outline
his current projects, which focus on helping
injured veterans become service leaders
in their communities.
Greitens’ insights and methods were
unique from previous speakers. As one citizen
pointed out, he was the first speaker to
not mention fishing or boats. But his message
was one of the most inspiring. Citizens
were impressed not only by Greitens
expertise, but also by his professionalism
and dynamic delivery. His performance as
a speaker provided an impetus and motivation
for nine hundred and eighty tired
citizens to do more than drudge through
the rest of the day. It provided them with a
drive to lead.
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This
morning, citizens were faced with many deadlines. By the end
of breakfast, anyone wishing to run for state office must
have filed their petition. Furthermore, breakfast this morning
marked the first day that court dockets must be filed; yes,
if you break a law at MBS, you go to trial just like the real
world.
