Lamar Hunt, Jr. is the founder of Loretto Properties, LLC, a real estate investment company specializing in the operation and management of residential properties, as well as Loretto Foundation, LLC, a private charitable organization.  He also owns the Kansas City Mavericks, LLC, a member team of the East Coast Hockey League, which plays its home games in the Independence, Missouri Events Center.  All companies are based in the greater Kansas City area. He is a member of the founding family of the Kansas City Chiefs, a National Football League member team. The family also operates FC Dallas, a member franchise of Major League Soccer. Lamar serves on the board of directors of Hunt Midwest Enterprises, a real estate development company based in Kansas City, Missouri. He is a member of the board of the Hunt Family Foundation and also serves on the Advisory Board of the Catholic Radio Network, a religious broadcasting group that operates radio stations in the greater Kansas City, Wichita, and Denver markets. read more...

The Four Pillars of Leadership

All leadership begins with “self-leadership.”  There are four unique pillars that create the “substance” of leadership. The first is self-awareness, whereby an individual understands fully their own strengths, weaknesses, values, and worldview. Socrates, the Greek philosopher, thought it very important to “know thyself.” The second pillar is ingenuity, whereby a person can be innovative and adapt to embrace a constantly changing world. One thing that is known for sure is that change is a constant in any business or leadership endeavor. The third pillar is love. This means engaging others with a positive, loving attitude. Sadly there is a lot unloving behavior in the world today that disrespects human dignity. Love people, not things. Lastly, the fourth pillar is heroism. This is where an individual energizes himself/herself and others through heroic ambitions. Look around because there are heroes everywhere doing big things and maybe even more importantly, the little things too.
Leaders figure out where we need to go, point us in the right direction, get everyone to agree that we need to get there, and rally us through the inevitable obstacles that separate us from the promised land. Harvard Business School professor John Kotter, a leading commentator on corporate management practices, offers a sorry indictment of… Continue reading →

Lamar Honors His Father with FC Dallas Scarf

Lamar Hunt Honors Father with FC Dallas ScarfLamar Hunt Jr. attended the FC Dallas home soccer match against the New England Revolution at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Thursday April 5.  He participated in the FC Dallas traditional pre-game "scarfing ceremony" by placing an FC Dallas scarf on the larger-than-life-size statue of his father, the late Lamar Hunt, that is located on the north concourse of the stadium.  FC Dallas won the match (1-0) in thrilling fashion with a late-game goal by Ugo Ihemelu.  Lamar proclaimed that "it was a glorious evening at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, and a very exciting victory for FC Dallas!"  For more about FC Dallas Soccer, visit FCDallas.com.  

Leadership

There are many vital challenges that still test great companies today including forging seamless multi-national teams, motivating inspired performance, and remaining "change ready" and strategically adaptable. Many of the behaviors modern companies value today include the ability to innovate, remaining flexible and adapting constantly, setting ambitious goals, thinking globally, moving quickly, and taking risks. Now these ideas sound textbook ready but, believe it or not, many of them find their origin in the "Society of Jesus" or the Jesuits – the largest religious order in the Catholic Church launched over 450 years ago by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Some of the aspects of Jesuit-style leadership carry the uncomfortable and even kooky ring common to provocative new ideas. But that is just it – they are not new ideas. For example, St. Ignatius of Loyola and his colleagues were convinced that people perform their best in a supportive, encouraging, and positively charged environment.  Therefore he exhorted his "managers" to create environments filled with "greater love than fear." The thought or idea of a loving work environment may take some time to sink in. The Jesuit principles make a company better because they make individuals better, are rooted in the notion that we are all leaders, and that our whole lives are filled with leadership opportunities.

Leadership is not reserved for a few "pooh-bahs" sitting atop the corporate pyramid. Nor do leadership opportunities arise only at work. A… Continue reading →

Proud to be a grandfather, again!

Lamar became a grandfather for the third time on Monday night, March 12, so he is taking a break from blog writing to spend some time with his new granddaughter and her family.  Lamar and Rita are thrilled to welcome little Claire Arkell to the world!  She weighed in at a healthy 6 pounds, 1 ounce and was 19 inches long.  Claire's mom and dad, Sarah and James Arkell, and her big brother and sister, are most excited to welcome a healthy little Claire to the family.

Loretto Chapel and the Miraculous Staircase

On the weekend of February 17-18, Lamar and Rita traveled to Santa Fe, New Mexico to enjoy the wedding festivities for Lamar's brother, Daniel Hunt, and his bride Toni Munoz.  While they were in Santa Fe, they visited the Loretto Chapel.  The most famous feature of the chapel is the "miraculous staircase," which has a wonderful and interesting history.  When the chapel was completed in 1878, there was no way to access the choir loft twenty-two feet above. Carpenters were called in to address the problem, but they all agreed that the only way to enter the loft would be by a ladder, because the presence of a staircase would interfere with the interior space of the small chapel.

Legend says that to find a solution to the seating problem, the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed, and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks. After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers.

The stairway's carpenter, whoever he… Continue reading →