george w. bush

Decision Points: Leadership Lessons from George W. Bush

“September 11 redefined sacrifice. It redefined duty. And it redefined my job. The story of that week is the key to understanding my presidency.” – George W. Bush

Every leader has a story. George W. Bush does an excellent job telling his story in his memoir Decision Points. This book had been on my reading list for a while but it wasn’t until last summer when I lived in Central America that I finally got around to reading it. There, in a concrete block room with a single light over head, I read Bush’s account of his presidency as the daily rainstorms prevented me from going outside.

Simply hearing the name George W. Bush provokes a wide range of sentiments in the hearts of Americans — particularly in the hearts of Central Americans whom I was surrounded by as I read the book.

Even so, love him or hate him, we can all learn from him.

If you follow me on twitter, you know that I love quotes. And I know that people would get tired of me tweeting out Bush quotes four years after his presidency is over. So, below, I’ve shared some of the quotes I highlighted throughout the book as I read it. The chapter titles the quotes come from are in bold.

They offer unique insights into what I would argue is the most difficult job in the world. The ones I’ve included here largely center around leadership, but I’ve also included some that stuck out to me as a lover of political science and as a pastor. After all, George W. Bush is one of the most famous members of the United Methodist Church in the world today.

If these quotes spark your interest, I’d highly recommend this book. For as my friend Kate Hofler writes in her review of the book, “It will offer incredible insight into what the leader of our country was thinking for eight years of your life.”

September 21, 2012 by Jonathan 3 Comments

Presidential

It is hard to put into words the feelings I had when President George W. Bush’s motorcade pulled into Paladin Stadium.

The stands erupted and as I turned around from the press box I saw the Furman community on their feet welcoming the President. Soon after, I heard the reports of the thousands of citizens who lined Poinsett Highway welcoming his motorcade. Suddenly the 50 people on campus who dissented seemed pretty insignificant. After all of the anticipation, excitement, stress, debate, and controversy I was more proud than ever to be a student at Furman University.

His speech was very well done and was filled with hilarity, humility, and insight for our futures.

Below are some of the shots I got. You can view more of my work capturing this day here: Furman Magazine Article and Furman Photographers’ Gallery of Commencement

June 11, 2008 by Jonathan 1 Comment

W. at FU

After photographing all of the candidates for the next president, I will now be photographing a sitting president whom I admire and who has been very influential in my political development.

President George W. Bush to be Speaker at Furman Commencement Exercises May 31

Vince Moore, Director of Media Relations
April 10, 2008

President George W. Bush will serve as commencement speaker when Furman holds its graduation exercises Saturday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Paladin Stadium. As has been the case in recent history, a graduating senior will also speak at the exercises.

GREENVILLE, S.C.—President George W. Bush will serve as commencement speaker when Furman University holds its graduation exercises Saturday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m. in Paladin Stadium.

The White House announced today that President Bush will speak at three commencement exercises this spring. The other two are at Greensburg High School in Kansas and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Furman will award approximately 650 degrees at commencement. As has been the case in recent history, a graduating senior will also speak at the exercises.

Furman has never had a sitting president visit the campus in its 182-year history.

The opportunity for President Bush to speak at commencement arose when the South Carolina Governor’s office contacted the university about that possibility. Furman president David E. Shi met with the senior class leadership, and they were unanimous in their endorsement of the university issuing a formal invitation to the President.

Governor Mark Sanford is a 1983 Furman graduate, and he was the university’s commencement speaker in 2001.

“Mark was remembering his alma mater in this instance, and he was instrumental in bringing the President to Furman,” Shi said.

The university will provide details in the coming weeks about the policy for attending Furman’s 2008 commencement. For more information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.

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Bush in the Furman Dining Hall making his last campaign stop in SC during the 2000 primary:

April 10, 2008 by Jonathan 1 Comment