What makes you proud of America?

Tony Detter, Chief Executive Officer of Asurion (global company headquartered in Nashville), reminds us of what we share and what we might aspire to together…

From Tony:  July 4th is the annual holiday where Americans celebrate the founding of our country. The Founders were ambitious and put great thought into how they would communicate to the people of America and the world, the beliefs of a new nation. Thomas Jefferson, with help from John Adams, Ben Franklin and some committee edits, ultimately recorded those ideals in the Declaration of Independence. At the time it was a revolutionary (pun intended) document. Over the decades and centuries scholars and governments marveled at the innovative thinking and endurance of its principles. One of the most often quoted lines in the document is the first sentence of the second paragraph:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Since I first read this in school I have been amazed by the thinking and proud to be part of a society driven by this statement. I am also acutely aware that at many times in the 244 years since it was written, we (America) have fallen short of these ideals. In particular we have not governed in a way that upholds this ideal for people of color – particularly, but not exclusively the black community – and women.

For July 4, 2020 I find myself centered on two thoughts:

If you are looking for a perfect society, or a perfect leader, you will be searching your whole life. None of us, and no community, is perfect. The same Creator who endowed those rights also made all of us flawed. The human experience is rooted in how much we celebrate our strength and how hard we work to improve our imperfections

What if we, the people of the United States today, were to view ourselves as being as much a part of the American Revolution as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Abigail Adams or Benjamin Bannaker? What if our real manifest destiny is to finally and completely implement the authentic practice of treating all men and women as equal and ensure all have the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

This July 4th and moving forward I am challenging myself to find what more I can do to make the Declaration of Independence the defining document for every single person in America.

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Please click here to see Tony’s delivery of this challenge… https://photos.app.goo.gl/456HQbqgxHuunBWX6

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(All photos from Nashville, prior years)

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Tony’s official bio:

“As Asurion’s top executive leader, Tony combines more than 30 years of technology and leadership experience with his conviction that success is achieved by driving value creation for partners. From the clarity of this view, he works collaboratively across the company to foster customer-focused innovation that builds successful partner relationships…

Under Tony’s leadership, Asurion has continued to achieve strong growth and strengthened its focus on attracting and retaining exceptional team members. Tony’s passion for creating an inclusive workplace has resulted in Asurion receiving national recognition and repeated acknowledgement as a great place to work.

Before joining Asurion, Tony spent almost a decade with Hewlett-Packard building his experience in operations and marketing. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and later an MBA from Stanford University where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar.”

Unofficial: captain of the Stanford Baseball team back in the day, married to an Olympic competitor, father of two daughters.

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