Director’s Message
Dear Friends, I would like to share a bit about my mom. Mom reached 91 this April and is in the last stages of her life. She is in hospice care on our family ranch that she so loves. I think a lot about leadership and the characteristics, actions and the instincts that good leaders have. Good leaders learn from many repetitions in which to hone their skills. My mom, Norma Jean, had the opportunity to experience many challenges including those experiences with her eight kids. Like a good student in training, she learned from her parenting successes and mistakes. After all, she raised eight of us and was deeply involved with scores of our friends, neighboring ranch and 4-H kids, kids involved in the school district or kids involved in her Sunday School classes. Mom believed in giving. Our house was always filled with people looking for Mom’s cooking and her sage counsel. Although her health has diminished, she is still mostly the same way today as she was back then. People still flock to her. I would like to share eight leadership lessons from my mom. My writing effort here ended up a bit long so we will break it down in a series in the next few months. Lesson #1 - Leadership demands action. Leadership demands answerability of successes or failures of both self and others. Leaders are obligated to step up and stand for something; good leaders have this bias for action. Mom was involved in many community organizations as a way to get in the trenches and understand the challenges to then be a part of the solutions. Mom quotes Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Mom’s voice, although weakened today, has still not been fully silenced. Lesson #2 – Heart. Mom poured her energy and commitment into people, believing in others and helping them to do better in their own lives. She invested in others, knowing that all of her time and energy was worth it and stressing to each person that their effort would also be worth it. Mom believed in character development. She knew that success is not measured in what people are given but in how they give back to others. Leaders invest heart and their time. Good leaders plant and grow seeds of success. Leaders encourage others knowing that hard work pays off in character and in hope for a better future. I look forward to sharing the next lessons in the coming months. With Whitney Regards, Patrick Henderson Whitney Benefits Executive Director
May 2022 Message
An Educational Foundation by the late Mr. Edward A. Whitney
© Whitney Benefits, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Phone: 307-674-7303
Director’s Message
Dear Friends, I would like to share a bit about my mom. Mom reached 91 this April and is in the last stages of her life. She is in hospice care on our family ranch that she so loves. I think a lot about leadership and the characteristics, actions and the instincts that good leaders have. Good leaders learn from many repetitions in which to hone their skills. My mom, Norma Jean, had the opportunity to experience many challenges including those experiences with her eight kids. Like a good student in training, she learned from her parenting successes and mistakes. After all, she raised eight of us and was deeply involved with scores of our friends, neighboring ranch and 4-H kids, kids involved in the school district or kids involved in her Sunday School classes. Mom believed in giving. Our house was always filled with people looking for Mom’s cooking and her sage counsel. Although her health has diminished, she is still mostly the same way today as she was back then. People still flock to her. I would like to share eight leadership lessons from my mom. My writing effort here ended up a bit long so we will break it down in a series in the next few months. Lesson #1 - Leadership demands action. Leadership demands answerability of successes or failures of both self and others. Leaders are obligated to step up and stand for something; good leaders have this bias for action. Mom was involved in many community organizations as a way to get in the trenches and understand the challenges to then be a part of the solutions. Mom quotes Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Mom’s voice, although weakened today, has still not been fully silenced. Lesson #2 – Heart. Mom poured her energy and commitment into people, believing in others and helping them to do better in their own lives. She invested in others, knowing that all of her time and energy was worth it and stressing to each person that their effort would also be worth it. Mom believed in character development. She knew that success is not measured in what people are given but in how they give back to others. Leaders invest heart and their time. Good leaders plant and grow seeds of success. Leaders encourage others knowing that hard work pays off in character and in hope for a better future. I look forward to sharing the next lessons in the coming months. With Whitney Regards, Patrick Henderson Whitney Benefits Executive Director
May 2022 Message
Whitney Benefits
An Educational Foundation by the late Mr. Edward A. Whitney
© Whitney Benefits, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Phone: 307-674-7303
Director’s Message
Dear Friends, I would like to share a bit about my mom. Mom reached 91 this April and is in the last stages of her life. She is in hospice care on our family ranch that she so loves. I think a lot about leadership and the characteristics, actions and the instincts that good leaders have. Good leaders learn from many repetitions in which to hone their skills. My mom, Norma Jean, had the opportunity to experience many challenges including those experiences with her eight kids. Like a good student in training, she learned from her parenting successes and mistakes. After all, she raised eight of us and was deeply involved with scores of our friends, neighboring ranch and 4-H kids, kids involved in the school district or kids involved in her Sunday School classes. Mom believed in giving. Our house was always filled with people looking for Mom’s cooking and her sage counsel. Although her health has diminished, she is still mostly the same way today as she was back then. People still flock to her. I would like to share eight leadership lessons from my mom. My writing effort here ended up a bit long so we will break it down in a series in the next few months. Lesson #1 - Leadership demands action. Leadership demands answerability of successes or failures of both self and others. Leaders are obligated to step up and stand for something; good leaders have this bias for action. Mom was involved in many community organizations as a way to get in the trenches and understand the challenges to then be a part of the solutions. Mom quotes Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Mom’s voice, although weakened today, has still not been fully silenced. Lesson #2 – Heart. Mom poured her energy and commitment into people, believing in others and helping them to do better in their own lives. She invested in others, knowing that all of her time and energy was worth it and stressing to each person that their effort would also be worth it. Mom believed in character development. She knew that success is not measured in what people are given but in how they give back to others. Leaders invest heart and their time. Good leaders plant and grow seeds of success. Leaders encourage others knowing that hard work pays off in character and in hope for a better future. I look forward to sharing the next lessons in the coming months. With Whitney Regards, Patrick Henderson Whitney Benefits Executive Director
May 2022 Message
© Whitney Benefits, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Phone: 307-674-7303
