Central to the author's thesis are Austin's great qualities as a leader. The Father of Texas had four qualities that enabled him to turn a bunch of rugged individualists on the frontier into a cohesive community. This morning, I want to share those qualities with you. I recommend them because they are in accord with what I've experienced in my three decades of public service. These qualities are timeless, and if you embrace them, you will become better leaders.
作者以奧斯汀的偉大領袖才能作為中心主題。這位德克薩斯之父具備了四種品質，使得他能把邊緣上一群一盤散沙似的個體轉變成一個有強大凝聚力的集體。今天上午，我想與你們一起談談這些品質。我之所以大力推薦這些品質，是因為它們與我30年公務生涯得出的經驗是一致的。這些品質可以跨越時間的長河，是終生受用的精神資源。如果你們擁有它們，你們定能成為優秀的領袖。
First is vision. Have a vision. Austin certainly had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve. In a letter written in 1829, he said. "My ambition has been to succeed in redeeming Texas from its wilderness state by… spreading over it…enterprise and intelligence. In doing this I hope to make the fortune of thousands and my own amongst the rest." His vision was of a prosperous, progressive Texas, and he stayed absolutely true to that goal. He never wavered---and look at Texas today! You Texans are blessed more than ever with prosperity and progress.
第一種品質是要有前景目標。奧斯汀對他想要取得的成就有明確的前景目標。他在1829年的一封信中寫道："我的目標是成功地改造荒蕪的德克薩斯……讓它到處充滿進取精神和聰明才智。我希望以此來造福千萬人民同時實現我的價值。"他的目標是一個繁榮進步的德克薩斯，而且，他始終不渝地堅信他的目標。他從不動搖--看看今天的德克薩斯州吧！你們德克薩斯人從未享有過像今天這樣的繁榮與進步。
Second, know how to tell others about your vision. Austin is a great example of how to communicate vision with great force and clarity. He knew how to enlist others in his great mission in the wilderness. He wrote and spoke every chance he had---even learned Spanish so that he could communicate with the many Tejanos here, as well as with the government in Mexico City. By sharing his vision in powerful, compelling language, Austin helped unite rugged individualists into a colony where people from different backgrounds joined together for a greater cause. As we approach the 21st century, the idea of cooperating for the sake of a greater cause is surely as necessary today.
第二種品質是懂得如何讓你的目標為人知曉。奧斯汀在這方面是個很好的典範，他明白如何以強有力的、清晰的方式把目標傳達給他人。奧斯汀懂得怎樣把他人召集起來投入到荒野中的偉大事業中去。他利用一切機會寫作、發言，甚至去學西班牙語以便不但能同墨西哥城政府協商，而且能與許多當地的特吉諾人交流。奧斯汀用他強勁的、鼓舞人心的話語，使得他的目標成為大家共同的目標。他幫助這些人團結在一起，在這塊土地上，不同背景的人齊心協力為一項偉大的事業而奮鬥。在我們向21世紀邁進的今天，這種為偉大事業而合作的思想是萬萬不可缺少的。
The third leadership quality Austin had was an unshakable confidence in himself, and in the rightness of what he was doing. According to Professor Cantrell, he never even considered the possibility of failure. He learned to recognize his strengths and compensate for his weaknesses. Criticism bounced off. Austin viewed mistakes simply as an opportunity for learning.
※本文作者：佚名※