Over the last 45 years, Jim Ritchie has been the founder or principal of multiple business adventures, including serving as senior vice president for Franklin Quest (now Franklin Covey). He is a member of the Brigham Young University President’s Leadership Council for both Provo and Hawaii campuses, a member of the National Advisory Council for the Marriott School of Business, and has served as an adjunct professor at Provo. He has also served as a board member and NAC advisor to Southern Virginia University.

Jim and his wife Carolyn Orton have spent over 20 years serving full time in Church service on four continents, including as bishop, stake president in Simi Valley, mission president in Roanoke, Missionary Training Center president in Ghana, Institute director in New Zealand, CES area director in Africa, regional representative in the Provo Region, director of the Willes Center at BYU-Hawaii, and most recently as the young single adult specialists for the Washington DC South Mission. The Ritchies have eight children and forty grandchildren. He is also the principal founder of the Ritchie Enterprises LLC which began in the late ’60’s, and part of The Ritchie Group, of which he says he is “the gray hair”.

1:45 Jim shares his story. He got polio when he was 1 year old. When he started talking at two he had a stutter. Despite his impediments and inadequacies he was able to laugh it off and was in student leadership growing up.

4:45 He thought because of his problems that he wouldn’t serve a mission. He tried to run away but thanks to church leaders stepping in he ended up serving in Scotland.

6:30 Jim thought he would fail on his mission because of his stutter. He was the missionary that didn’t speak until he got a companion that changed his life.

11:40 When Jim was about to come home from his mission in Scotland Elder David B. Haight gave him some advice. The formula for happiness and success is:

13:05 The work ethic of Elder Haight

14:15 He was a limping, stuttering, chicken-farmer kid. In his patriarchal blessing it said that he would travel for the Church, have friends all over the world, and witness before many. Heavenly Father knows who we are and what we can become.

17:20 The organization of the mission. Jim was a mission president and applied a lot from what he learned from Elder Haight.

20:20 Give a kid a position, explain to him what it means to live up to it, and let him rise up to it and become a leader. Jim shares his leadership journey.

25:40 How can we be better mentors? Look at the story of Moses.

29:45 When Jim got home from his mission and went to BYU, got married, and had children. He started 27 businesses.

35:10 If he could go back in time and mentor himself as a new bishop. Jim shares what he learned from David Haight on his mission in Scotland and how it impacted his leadership in the Church.

43:50 The story behind getting called to be a mission president

45:40 Where do you start when becoming a mission president?

48:30 When a new missionary comes in how do you train them and get them into the culture of the mission?

50:00 Jim’s wife’s role in the mission

51:00 Striking up a balance between raising and mentoring your children and serving in leadership roles

54:00 How to get people on board and excited with new ideas, programs, and leadership?

57:50 Giving autonomy to mission leaders instead of giving orders. Creating a Zion mission.

1:01:30 Jim reflects on his life. By going on a mission and meeting David Haight it changed the course of his life.

1:03:30 Most training doesn’t work. It teaches but it doesn’t empower.

1:04:30 When you’re not in the core of leadership efforts and the vision making. You feel like you are sitting on the sidelines. How do you find your purpose? Jim is now in his 80s and he believes you have to create it. You also have to learn to be a follower.

The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints’ mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, Kirby Heyborne, and many more in over 700 episodes.

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