Nate’s Notes 147: Kevin Worthen | Say “Yes” as Often as Possible

What great leadership lessons Kevin shared.

First, leadership is humility and generosity squared. It’s admitting we don’t know everything and then giving credit to others for their success.

Kevin also learned the importance of councils. When he played basketball in college, his coaches would use every second of the timeouts to coach the players. But as the years passed, he noticed that coaches started using the timeouts to counsel with the other coaches. There’s power in admitting you don’t see everything and in getting advice from others.

Kevin also learned to say “yes” as often as he could, because there are so many times as a leader that you have to say “no.” And it’s important to be generous and kind when saying “no,” especially because saying “no” typically doesn’t persuade anyone.

And I love the quotes he shared: “Anger never persuaded anyone” and “The law of love is undefeated.” That doesn’t mean abandoning principles, but it does mean to be humble and generous while leading.

All simple ideas. Please take them seriously.

Kevin Worthen Bio:

Kevin Worthen is the former president of Brigham Young University and is a “BYU guy through and through” as he says. Kevin earned both his bachelor’s and law degree from BYU, graduating summa cum laude. After graduating from law school, Kevin clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White, and later spent a year at the University of Chile as a Fullbright Scholar. Kevin also served as Dean of the BYU Law school and advancement vice president of BYU before serving as President. Most recently, Kevin spent a year at Yale Law School as a distinguished visiting professor.

I hope you enjoy learning from Kevin Worthen today.