On Sept. 14 in McGuire Hall, business leader Vincent Wolfington spoke to Loyola students, faculty and administration about justice and leadership for the Loyola University's third annual Commitment to Justice Lecture.
Wolfington combined the ideas of stewardship, self interest, service, and Catholicism in his speech, "To Thine Own Self Be True," which informed his audience how to "promote justice as an expression of faith."
Wolfington attended Georgetown University, a Jesuit institution, where he played on the basketball team and served as president of his class and of the student body.
In 1969, Wolfington was named chairman of Carey Corporation, which he helped develop into a world-wide organization, today called Carey International.
He is now chairman of Global Ambassador Concierge, which offers guidance on culture, travel, and communication to travelers in the United States and China, and of Global Alliance Advisors, which is focused on helping international companies and investors abroad. He is also an executive committee member of the World Travel and Tourism Council.
Wolfington credited much of his success in both the business world and as a man of faith to his family. When he was only 10 years old, he worked at his family's hotel near the ocean in New Jersey, where he learned a lot about helping and respecting others.
"I got a good picture of Mother Nature and a good picture of the nature of man," said Wolfington of his experiences with customers during his time at the Jersey shore.
His family also taught him a lot about faith; they would often say the rosary together after dinner. Wolfington described faith as "part of the family DNA."
When thinking about justice and faith, Wolfington chose four pillars upon which people should model their lives: stewardship, Adam Smith and the idea of self interest, Confucius and serving others, and Catholic intellectual tradition.
Stewardship, which Wolfington referred to as "the highest form of leadership," is a necessary component to succeed morally in the business world. Wolfington pointed out that most leaders are chosen or appointed and are considered higher up in companies than others, but do not have to address their own personal responsibilities.
"Authentic leadership comes from within, not from without," said Wolfington. He stressed that everyone should embrace their role as leaders by examining their own lives, abilities, and morals and by using what they discover to lead others.
The next pillar was modeled after Adam Smith, a Scottish philosopher, and his ideas on people's tendencies to make decisions with their own self interests in mind.
"Adam Smith was on to something when he said the role of self interest in society is alive and well," Wolfington said.
People naturally ask themselves, "What's in it for me?" This tendency can be used to one's advantage - if someone desires a comfortable, healthy life for themselves and their family, they can use this desire to drive them to make good decisions.
Third on the list of steps was Confucius, who philosophized on how to live a sincere, just, and moral life. Confucius' suggestions such as "to be faithful in words" and "to be earnest in service" require people to "have a willingness to think about what [they] think, say, and do," according to Wolfington.
The last pillar, Catholic intellectual tradition, pushes everyone to question things in life, which will lead to more understanding about what is right and wrong.
"The individual has a responsibility to himself and to society to seek a clear understanding of who they are and where they are in the world in which they live," Wolfington said.
After explaining his pillars of promoting justice, Wolfington chose examples of real people who exemplify a just and moral leader in the world.
Paul Tagliabue, former National Football League commissioner, was Wolfington's first model because he pushed NFL players to give back to the communities they came from and to represent the league in a respectful manner.
"The NFL became one of the most successful franchises in the world because of the stewardship of Paul," Wolfington said.
Wolfington next highlighted the admirable work of Charles Cawley, who founded the MBNA bank corporation, and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who started the Special Olympics.
Wolfington ended his speech by focusing on Edward Kennedy, the recently deceased senator from Massachusetts who used his name and position in government to fight for people without a voice.
"Millions of Americans have been touched by the quiet work of Ted Kennedy, who helped those who could not help themselves," said Wolfington.
At the beginning of the night, Wolfington claimed that he had no idea how he would actually tie all the components of his lecture together, but by the end his words made sense to everyone who took the time to listen to the successful business leader. By telling everyone that they simply have to look inside themselves and constantly strive to learn more about the world and how to live, he gave everyone an achievable model on how to "promote justice as an expression of faith."
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