Leading‏‏‎ ‎Like Elder David B. Haight | An Interview with Jim Ritchie

Over the last 45 years, Jim Ritchie has been the founder or
principal of multiple business adventures, including serving as
senior vice president for Franklin Quest (now Franklin Covey). He
is a member of the Brigham Young University President’s Leadership
Council for both Provo and Hawaii campuses, a member of the
National Advisory Council for the Marriott School of Business, and
has served as an adjunct professor at Provo. He has also served as
a board member and NAC advisor to Southern Virginia University. Jim
and his wife Carolyn Orton have spent over 20 years serving full
time in Church service on four continents, including as bishop,
stake president in Simi Valley, mission president in Roanoke,
Missionary Training Center president in Ghana, Institute director
in New Zealand, CES area director in Africa, regional
representative in the Provo Region, director of the Willes Center
at BYU-Hawaii, and most recently as the young single adult
specialists for the Washington DC South Mission. The Ritchies have
eight children and forty grandchildren. He is also the principal
founder of the Ritchie Enterprises LLC which began in the late
'60's, and part of The Ritchie Group, of which he says he is "the
gray hair". Links Launching a Rising Generation of Leaders | An
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Library Highlights 1:45 Jim shares his story. He got polio when he
was 1 year old. When he started talking at two he had a stutter.
Despite his impediments and inadequacies he was able to laugh it
off and was in student leadership growing up. 4:45 He thought
because of his problems that he wouldn’t serve a mission. He tried
to run away but thanks to church leaders stepping in he ended up
serving in Scotland. 6:30 Jim thought he would fail on his mission
because of his stutter. He was the missionary that didn't speak
until he got a companion that changed his life. 11:40 When Jim was
about to come home from his mission in Scotland Elder David B.
Haight gave him some advice. The formula for happiness and success
is: Get up early Work hard Get your education Find your oil Make
your mark in life Give back and serve others 13:05 The work ethic
of Elder Haight 14:15 He was a limping, stuttering, chicken-farmer
kid. In his patriarchal blessing it said that he would travel for
the Church, have friends all over the world, and witness before
many. Heavenly Father knows who we are and what we can become.
17:20 The organization of the mission. Jim was a mission president
and applied a lot from what he learned from Elder Haight. 20:20
Give a kid a position, explain to him what it means to live up to
it, and let him rise up to it and become a leader. Jim shares his
leadership journey. 25:40 How can we be better mentors? Look at the
story of Moses. 29:45 When Jim got home from his mission and went
to BYU, got married, and had children. He started 27 businesses.
35:10 If he could go back in time and mentor himself as a new
bishop. Jim shares what he learned from David Haight on his mission
in Scotland and how it impacted his leadership in the Church. 43:50
The story behind getting called to be a mission president 45:40
Where do you start when becoming a mission president? 48:30 When a
new missionary comes in how do you train them and get them into the
culture of the mission? 50:00 Jim’s wife’s role in the mission
51:00 Striking up a balance between raising and mentoring your
children and serving in leadership roles 54:00 How to get people on
board and excited with new ideas, programs, and leadership? 57:50
Giving autonomy to mission leaders instead of giving orders.
Creating a Zion mission. 1:01:30 Jim reflects on his life. By going
on a mission and meeting David Haight it changed the course of his
life.