Mayor Betsy Price’s Greatest Leadership Quality And Why You Need To Know It

I was at an event yesterday that Mayor Price was attending, and as a student of leadership, I came prepared with a question to ask.  

Now, why would I want to ask Betsy Price a leadership question?

As my mentor, John Maxwell, says, "Everything rises and falls on leadership," and Fort Worth has risen tremendously under her leadership.  

I have lived in anti-growth cities, and I have lived in pro-growth cities, and I can tell you that pro-growth > anti-growth. 

A few quick stats:

1.     3rd Fastest-Growing City - 781,000 in 2012 to 895,000 in 2017

2.     3rd Fastest-Growing Job Market - Growing at a rate of 21.5%

3.     1,400 of Mayor Price’s peers say that she is impressive. 

4.     It is the #1 city I want to live in!

So, what did I ask Mayor Price? 

I asked her, "What is your greatest leadership quality, and how has it helped you lead the city?"

Her answer was on point. As we walked to her car, without skipping a beat, she said, "My love for people." She expounded, "My greatest leadership quality is my love for people and what their dreams are and what their dreams are for their children." She continued to share how getting to understand the dreams of the people of this community has helped her tremendously in leading Fort Worth. 

I loved this answer from the Mayor of my city, and I cannot think of a more exceptional quality in a public servant. As a resident of Fort Worth, it is good to know that my Mayor desires to love the people of this great city and serve them to the best of her abilities.

Fort Worth is going to continue to grow and change and evolve. I hope that we can add new people with new ideas and diverse backgrounds while still maintaining the relational culture that we all know and love.

What qualities do you admire most in a great leader?