Last week, while on vacation I received the very tragic and shocking news of the death of Tom Kiblen, Sponsor for Dale Carnegie here in Southern California. Tom was just 52 years old and in far better health than most 40 year-olds so that fact the he could just expire after a tennis game was a shocking reminder of the tenuous grip that we all have on life. He was large in stature (over 6'2") but his heart was bigger. It will take quite a bit to fill those shoes. But most of all Tom was a mentor to me and a host of others. He once told me the job of a leader is to place the needs of those who look-up to us above the needs of ourselves. Tom certainly did this. He led by example and he was the first to demonstrate what could be done if we would just make a commitment and follow-through. As we walk on without Tom we sense that we have lost a good man; we say farewell just a little too soon. Our sentiments and loving good-byes assist us in accepting the truth that death is oh so real! We are somewhat shaken because only yesterday we were enjoying pleasant conversation together. But let it be the time that we say to ourselves, "We need to walk in bigger shoes and lead and mentor those who are depending on us."

Labels: dale carnegie, kiblen