“Leadership is influence” — John Maxwell

Early this year I had the privilege of speaking to the students of The Center for the Advancement of Leadership (CAL) program at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. This is a phenomenal group of students who are making a huge difference in their community. They are the leaders of this generation and they will lead us tomorrow. What an honor it was to associate with them. I express my gratitude to Amy and Belinda for this invitation.

I spoke on the subject of Becoming a Person of Influence, a book that John Maxwell wrote. I drew inspiration from that wonderful book and quoted many passages from it. John himself stated: “Leadership is influence – nothing more – nothing less.” In that book he shares 10 attributes that people of influence have. Two of these attributes are “A person of influence connects with people [and] reproduces other inlfuencers.”

I appreciate the warm welcome I received from the students and their parents as well as the leaders of the program. Here is a quick summary of their feedback they:

“Thank You so much for all the wonderful ways you’ve helped us all learn and grow! We are so grateful for the MANY ways you help us become better through your patience, wisdom, leadership, honesty, and kindness.” — Amy Harmer (Assistant Director – The Center for the Advancement of Leadership)

“Illens is an exceptional human being. His soft-spoken nature draws people as he draws pictures with his words. He did a wonderful job presenting material that challenged, but also resonated with our students.” — Belinda S. Han (Director – The Center for the Advancement of Leadership)

Watch the presentation here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsUIJVULWk&feature=youtu.be

Illens