Mike Sweeney: Leadership is Making Those Around You BETTER | WT #104

The Authentic Leadership Foundation is proud to announce that former MLB All-Star Mike Sweeney will be the keynote speaker for our Bring Out the Greatness 2024! event, held on the evening of Monday, December 9, 2024. Take a listen to a recent conversation with ALF co-founder Darren Smith: 

Topics Discussed:

• 0:00 - Intro and Greeting - What is Leadership? Our culture and the importance of the Foundation's work
• 3:05 - Mike's story - for people to relate. Father lived sacrificially - conceived out of wedlock; born premature - was baptized and had dad's baseball bat at side - leadership right in front of him
• 10:10 – on the San Diego Saints’ mission (Using the greatest game ever played to tell the greatest story ever told!): what would you say to a doubter?
• 14:35 - Why support ALF? Now is the time to invite others to be our teammates in fostering authentic leadership.

Mike is a model of the authentic leader ALF is helping schools to build; and he can speak to our mission from first-hand experience. Sweeney, a five-time All-Star and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, is not only known for his outstanding accomplishments on the field but also for the authentic leadership he has demonstrated throughout his career and beyond. He currently works as a special assistant to the GM with the KC Royals where he was part of their World Series Championship team in 2015. Mike’s role is to model and coach authentic leadership for the players in their minor league farm system as well as the captains on the Royals.

Sweeney is also a founder of San Diego Saints Baseball, which exists to “Use the Greatest Game Ever Played to Share the Greatest Story Ever Told!” The Saints’ goal is to play a positive role in developing players into young adults, who are great children, siblings, students, and baseball players! His dedication to shaping not only great athletes but also virtuous leaders reflect the core mission of the Authentic Leadership Foundation. By fostering the use of principles, building character and serving mission in young players, Sweeney embodies the practices we seek to advance in all areas of life. “We’re thrilled and fortunate to be able to have Mike join us for our fourth annual event,” adds ALF Board Chair Pierre Koshakji. “He’s an outstanding example of the kind of leadership qualities we aim to form and nurture in young people across the country.”

Through his career and charitable work, including the Mike and Shara Sweeney Family Foundation, Sweeney’s leadership has always transcended the baseball diamond. He consistently demonstrates the power of humility, integrity, and principled-centered leadership, values that the Foundation promotes. His keynote will offer insights into how these timeless truths can empower leaders in any field to make a lasting, positive impact on their communities.

Join us on December 9, 2024, for an inspiring evening of wisdom and leadership with Mike Sweeney, as we celebrate the principles of authentic leadership and how they bring out the greatness in all of us.