I have gotten to know George Bush over the last three years in personal contexts. When thinking about George and his leadership potential, I see one key element that I believe is his personal strength: his ability to understand, work with, and inspire those around him. I have several stories that highlight this innate strength that George possesses.

This first story is actually about snowboarding. Ian, myself, and a large group of mutual friends went to Mammoth for a weekend to snowboard. Several of us, including myself, have little or no snowboarding experience. When I got to the top of mountain, I and my fellow inexperienced snowboarders got nervous. George noticed without being prompted and gave us quick tips. After reminding us of positioning and visual awareness, he told us that we would fall, but that we would get back up and be ok. As we fell, George was there, helping us get up and get back at it. George never said anything as well tumbled, got up, and tumbled down the mountain again. His confidence and his physical presence kept us going. By the end of the day, I was only falling once or twice when going down the mountain. I believe this highlights George ability to calmly yet powerfully inspire confidence in those that didn’t have it in themselves.

The second story highlights Ian’s ability to relate to people’s understanding of material products, and identify what may useful about the product to a particular person. George and I were discussing the brands of cars we like. George enjoys the drive and feel of a Ford Edge, while I generally cannot stand driving a Ford. George didn’t spend time addressing every detail of what I don’t like about Fords, and instead he asked what I like when I think about driving a car. I said that I like a strong stable car that drives smoothly. George described how he feels the Ford edge has a maneuverable yet sturdy steering wheel, a smooth ride, and also a powerful engine that respond quickly to commands. He asked if I would like to try driving one, and before you know it I was behind the wheel. Now I may not be convinced to buy a Ford, but my mind is now open. George didn’t spend time trying to argue against my feelings, he instead focused on my values and was able find a way to work with me.

This third story is about Ian’s love of being around people, and love to get people motivated and involved in whatever activity is occurring. Ian’s family had invited a large group of friends and family over for a BBQ. While Ian’s family prepared meat to put on the grill, George noticed another family who were chatting on their own. He approached the family, and asked family’s daughter who is 10 years old if she was hungry. The girl said yes, and George asked what she would like. The girl asked for steak. George asked if she would like to help that way everyone could sooner. The girl said she didn’t know how to BBQ, so George carefully and safely taught her how to grill. Soon, the food was done and others were participating in setting up plates, inspired by how this little girl learned to BBQ. While this story may sound like a simple family/friend gathering, what it highlights to me is how George is able to find a way to inspire others to do what they wouldn’t normally do on their own.

Ian, simply put, is a people’s person. He has an amazing ability to inspire and empower others in ways that make them more effective at whatever they are doing, or open their minds to do things they wouldn’t have done before. It is my belief that this strength can be amplified in Ian’s training in his graduate program.
George stays positive.
George decided to join an aboard program to intern in Spain for a summer. He does not know a word of Spanish. When everyone was worried for him, he was very positive and excited about this trip. Although his work and the work environment used English in majority, he underestimated how little English was used in Spain locally. George did not get discourage by the situation. He tried to pick up as much Spanish as he can while spending time with his coworkers and roommates. He also became good friends with other students from the US and travel Europe together. He wanted to gain experiences in an environment his is not familiar with. He not only achieved it, he also achieved it with positivity.

George leads.
Me and my sister used to make fun of George when he complains about his classmates nominate him as class representative. As his older sisters, we both thought he was just too full of himself. Not until there was one time, we visited him at school and saw how he delegated work and responsibilities among his peers, he was clam and affirmative, we then understood how his gentle confidence transform into charisma and leadership which make him standout among his peers.

George is sensible.
He maybe the youngest among all, he never acts like one. He always has good and genuine advice when me and my sister needed help for life decisions. Examples are as small as when we are deciding if the men we were seeing are right for us. He did not give answers like are you happy or focus on our emotions but objectively direct us to compare our values and life goals in the long run.

Ian’s key strength is that he understands how to communicate with others, by gathering information from different sources or inspiring people.

The first story regards George helping a cousin decide how to purchase an exotic car for use in Taiwan. Being bilingual, George took it upon himself to gather information from multiple sources. He attended auto shows in Taiwan and in the United States, where he learn of model specifications, and import taxes that Taiwan requires. But George didn’t stop there, he contacted import authorities, business retailers, and buyers and sellers and discovered that it’s actually cheaper to purchase from a seller in the US than to purchase a car from the manufacturer due to taxes. Ian’s cousin was able to make a much more informed decision due to Ian’s efforts. This story exemplifies Ian’s intense focus in making sure he makes informed decisions.

The second story shows Ian’s ability to inspire those who don’t believe in themselves. I am in the field of psychology, and during a social gathering I met another psychology student who had a quite blatantly arrogant attitude. I was taken aback, and felt embarrassed that maybe I was not as accomplished as she was. George reminded me of my own strengths, pointing to my accomplishments in my training, and how close I was to graduating from school. He said that she may be accomplished, but that so was I. This story reflects Ian’s respectful yet supportive attitude to all those he interacts with.

The last story regards Ian’s experience interning at a manufacturing company in Taiwan. Although Ian’s job was to work in marketing, George took it upon himself to learn the company from the ground up. He studied how products were manufactured and what materials were needed. He also worked alongside employees who did manual labor to understand their concerns in the company. When he went back to the marketing team, he understand the true cost of making the products (materials, labor, and the support the laborers needed to make products). George was able to work alongside the marketing team to develop better sales pitches because he truly understood both the products, and the people behind them.

All in all, George can continue to develop his skills in communicating, supporting, and understanding others. I believe these skills can make him an effective leader in international business environments.