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their capacity to give to causes for which
they personally care.
When asked if there is any particular se-
cret he could reveal regarding his success in
business he shares, "entrepreneurial achieve-
ment is rooted in a person's unique `strengths'
and their ability to apply those `strengths' to a
task within a certain time frame. e problem
is that `strengths' are invariably accompanied
by `weaknesses'... the types of weaknesses that
have the potential to neutralize any success a
person's strengths might a ord them. One of
my secrets to success is to tenaciously mitigate
against my weaknesses on a daily basis. I do
this by submitting myself to the authority of
someone who is both smarter and possesses
more life experience than me. You see, all great
leaders... have a mentor.
Years ago, Bishop Redfern II made a commit-
ment to speak into my life on a daily basis and
to stand with me as my mentor. Red hosts at
least six of my phone calls a day and I rarely
travel for any extended period without him.
During these moments he draws on a well of
wisdom gained through service to humanity
for over sixty years which he uses to confront
my defects of character while celebrating my
strengths. He's a master... He's my best friend.
I can't emphasize enough how important it
is to nd someone who can stand with even
when for your own sake they have to stand
against some part of your pathos that's pre-
venting you from becoming all that you can
be. Everyone needs a mentor"
As a result of his long collaboration with
Bishop Redfern, Rev. James P. LaRose was
recently named, special advisor to the ad-
ministrative o ce of the Coun-
cil of Bishops of the Ecumeni-
cal Church of Christ and also
serves as the national director of
CityLight's Men on the Wall.
In a recent Radio interview Jim-
my was asked what matters to
him most in life. He replied, "My
personal journey is best captured
in a simple sentence from the
Broadway production of Victor
Hugo's Les Miserable. It goes
like this... `No Song Unsung...
No Wine Untasted.' I lived ten
lifetimes before the age of 40,
traveled the globe, made and lost
fortunes, and entertained abso-
lutely everything this world has
to o er. Now in my mid-forties
when asked what matters most
my answer is immediate, vis-
ceral and accompanied by great
conviction. What matters to me
most is... Dianne."
Jimmy met the love of his life in Church.
Dianne's career as an accomplished social
worker prepared her for the high main-
tenance task of being married to Jimmy
LaRose which she must draw on daily to
J
IMMY
L
A
R
OSE
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