A native of St. Joseph, MO, Stephen Minnis received his Bachelor’s degree from Benedictine College in 1982. He obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from Washburn University in 1985 and Master’s of Business Administration degree in 1993 from Baker University. Minnis began his legal career in the county prosecutor’s office for Johnson County, Kansas. Then at Sprint Corporation, he held the position of director, state regulatory and general attorney for 14 years.
He served as president of the Benedictine College Alumni Association from 1991 to 1995 and joined the Benedictine College Board of Directors in 1992, serving until October 2004 when he became president of the college. He was honored with Benedictine’s Kansas Monk Award as an outstanding alumnus in 2001 and co-chaired the college’s successful 2004 Scholarship Ball.
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Show Notes:
- Stephen’s three top habits are:
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- Prayer.
- God always has a plan, and the plan always works.
- Relationships.
- We need each other to be fully alive.
- Lifelong learner.
- Truman said that not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.
- Prayer.
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- College is not a 4-year decision. It’s a 40-50 year decision.
- 3 things happen when you’re in college:
- You develop lifelong relationships.
- You make the faith your own.
- You discover your vocation.
- Culture is the key at college.
- Having a mission and living that mission is critically important.
- Are you willing to go bankrupt for your beliefs?
- A leader must have:
- Character.
- Competence.
- Commitment to greatness.
- If people don’t trust you, they’ll never follow you.
- Titles come from above. Leadership comes from below.
- Success only comes before work in the dictionary.
- The test of leadership is if you can take someone to a higher level and make them part of something greater than themselves.
- Leadership roles are going to come fast for today’s youth.
- Stephen recommends college students:
- Find a mentor.
- Ask if the college will help them find their mission and vocation.
- Keep in mind that they will want to find lifelong relationships.
- People who are engaged in the workforce years after college said that:
- They had a professor that made them excited about learning.
- They found a mentor.
- They did a research project.
Stephen Minnis’ Recharge Round
- Share with us how you believe your mindset affects your life? Stephen has paranoid optimism. They say that only the paranoid survive and his strong faith life gives him optimism.
- What do you do daily to bring Energy into your life? He keeps himself physically fit, he loves his job, and he gives himself pep talks.
- Share the number one connection that has made the biggest impact on your life? Benedictine College.
- What advice has Influenced you the most in your life? “Forward, always forward. Everywhere forward. We must not be held back by debt or bad years or difficulties of the times because man’s adversity is God’s opportunity.”
- Recommend a book and share why you love it? The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
- Define in one sentence or less, what legacy you want to leave on the world? He wants to have loved his wife, raised good kids, and get to heaven.
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