Comment at end
5th July, 2009
BLAIR: “… your job is to say what you think and to stand by it and if necessary to fall by it”
In case you hadn’t noticed, and some in Britain notice NOTHING apart from that which confirms their own narrow prejudices, Tony Blair is in great demand throughout the world for speaking engagements on many areas of politics and religion.
Often recently he has been asked to speak on leadership, for some reason best known to the many who ASK!
Here, an Illinois church leader, Jim Mellado, President of the Willow Creek Association, explains his thoughts on our former Prime Minister, the leader he said he wanted to meet above all others in the world. In the end he went one better. He secured Mr Blair to speak at his church’s Leadership Summit to his evident great delight.
He won’t be disappointed with Mr Blair’s contribution.
I agree totally with Mr Mellado’s analysis of Mr Blair’s leadership qualities, and I have known a few leaders. But it’s still heart-warming to see my views echoed by others.
Jim Mellado’s words from the video (click to watch):
“I think Tony Blair is one of the most significant leaders to lead in an extraordinary period in modern history. Tony Blair during his ten years as prime minister of the United Kingdom had to deal with the Northern Ireland crisis which after 300 years of so many failed peace attempts he was able to bring resolution and lasting peace there. He’s had to deal with Kosovo, 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, 7/7 the terrorist attacks on British soil. This man has been through the crucible of leadership, and I think there is so much that we can learn from him.”
Excerpt of the contribution that Tony Blair will be making at their leadership summit:
“The thing about the whole position of leadership is that you take a decision inside yourself that there are things that you will stand for and not yield on. And that’s not to be inflexible or petulant, if you like, it is to say that part of leadership is having that inner core. I think the single most important thing is that if you really believe something is right and you’re then faced with the fact that that view you have come to is uncomfortable for other people the thing that you can’t do then is yield on that. You’ve got to stick with that. And for me I came to the view that ultimately for my country the final duty I owed them was to do what I thought was right and then they make their judgement then about me as a result of that and their prerogative is to say we disagree with you or even to vote you out of office. But if you really think that this is the right way to go for the organisation, the people that you are leading, then your job is to say what you think and to stand by it and if necessary to fall by it.
It doesn’t take much to work out which decision is still uppermost in his mind, does it?
TONY BLAIR
One of Great Britain’s most internationally recognized statesmen, Tony Blair served as Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007. During his tenure he helped transform Britain’s public services in education and health care and is widely credited for his contribution towards assisting the Northern Ireland Peace Process. He continues to be active in public life today, working as a key leader in the international community’s efforts to secure peace in the Middle East. He also advocates on issues of personal interest, including Africa and climate change. In 2008, he launched the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which promotes understanding between the major faiths and increases understanding of the role of faith in the modern world.
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Willow Creek Community Church at 67 E. Algonquin Rd. South Barrington, IL 60010
See also Blair Foundation’s report on Willow Creek visit here.
Tags: Blair on leadership, Illinois, Jim Mellado, President of the Willow Creek Association, religion, Tony Blair
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