Leading from the Heartland

Kansas values build great leaders. Integrity, honesty, loyalty, humility, and discipline are just a few of the values that set Kansans apart from the rest of the country.

These values have taught me what it means to be true to myself and live authentically to my passions and purpose in life. These values were the foundation that was built from a small-town farming community and the family and friends that I hold close. I was born and raised in Salina, lived in the major college towns of Manhattan and Lawrence, and have found myself in the great city of Wichita. What I found in all these towns was the sense of community, the feeling of belonging to a group of people that truly cared. What was common among these Kansas towns? People built on values.

I found that Kansans value others holding to their word and aligning their words with their actions. The people of Kansas value honesty by being genuine in all that they do. Loyalty and dedication run deep with the people of Kansas. The act of being humble and raising others above themselves can be found in many of the Kansans you come across. One of the values that Kansans know best is hard work and having the discipline to get what needs to get done for the betterment of their work, their families, and their communities. A state with over 90% of it’s land dedicated to farming and agricultural production breeds hard work and discipline. I found this out the hard way growing up on our family farm by feeding cattle and harvesting wheat in the summertime with my family. All these values have brought me to realize the leader within me, and the leadership values found in so many other Kansans.
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The heartland breeds positive transformational leaders! We need leadership values in our country now more than ever! What values will you exemplify to help create positive change? You can create an impact that can transform others lives by the way you live. Will you choose to believe in others? Will you choose to live the Kansas values that make our state great? The time is now to help show the world what Kansans are made of. In the words of one of the great Kansans, John James Ingalls states, "The aspiration of Kansas is to reach the unattainable; its dream is the realization of the impossible." Kansas and its people will rise above to the stars through every difficulty. After all, we are a state built on values.

Ad Astra Per Aspera,

Carl Bowden