Darlene had received a call from the senior staffer of Governor Mark Sanford asking me to address the South Carolina Cabinet. In that same day as this call, we had signed three other deals including addressing the National Governors Association. I was delighted to accept the invitation, but it was tight. Darlene and I had to leave the Beverly Hills Wilshire at 4 am to catch the 6:40 am flight east to connect to Columbia, SC, the state capitol. Dinner with the Governor and his family was planned for that evening and my address to the Cabinet and their key staff the next morning.
Weather once more intervened in our travels and we were running across concourses in the airport only to find our flight cancelled. After numerous phone calls to the Governors office (leaning that the Governor and three of his four children had come down with a stomach virus and that dinner was off), tracking down our bags, looking at alternative routes and checking on chartering a private jet, we were airborne to Columbia 2 hours late. The head of the Governors security detail met us and drove us over to the Governors Mansion where we were staying. Jenny Sanford met us at the door while their delightful staff took our belongings to our quarters.
Darlene and I knew the Sanford family from our time in Bermuda some years back. My son, Rick, and friends were racing with me on the Charleston to Bermuda race when we hit major head winds and were very late arriving in Bermuda. There were several dinners and events that were planned with the Sanford family that I missed. Instead Darlene and my mother got to hang out with them, and I only managed to catch the tail end of a lunch before they were flying back.
After chatting for a while with Jenny and getting caught up, learning that for the first time ever the Governor had cancelled his entire day’s calendar, he was improving. Darlene and I had a quiet dinner by ourselves and then took a delightful walk in the expansive gardens on the estate, part of which was led by their eldest son, Marshall. There were vegetable gardens and formal gardens, with wonderful statues and water fountains. I felt right at home having a smaller version of these gardens and appreciating the work that went into them. We sipped a glass of wine watching the evening envelope us with bats swooping around eating their body weight a night in insects. Then we retired to desert in our suite and a good nights rest.
Mark and Jenny joined us after breakfast for my final briefing for the address. There were numerous issues that Mark was dealing with. One of the interesting facts that we learnt was that the Governor of South Carolina’s position was a very week one against the legislature. This was done decades back to limit the power of the Governor so that if ever a black man was elected governor, he would be ineffective. Mark is trying to change this, a change that would take place after he left office.
Mark was very casual and relaxed. We felt that we were among friends and were able to have very intimate discussions on the state of affairs and his frustrations. From the outside the job looks very glamorous but from understanding the inner workings, it is no easy task. Politics is a hostile world and I did not want my address to be political. I needed to understand the issues that were currently on the table, but was not going to tackle any. My approach was to inspire the cabinet not to become discouraged by what each department had to deal with. They needed to wake up each day smiling and not seeing their baggage, but instead the opportunities and the treasures ahead. I challenged them to do what is not just right for themselves or their families, but for the community. I asked them not to fail us by failing the children of South Carolina, but instead to work on a vision for a future that our children could excel in.
In Mark’s introduction to me he made note that I had taken and passed my citizen exam and that this November for the first time in my life that I would be able to vote. Each day that I am on the speaking circuit is not just an opportunity to share my story, but most important, an opportunity to inspire people to think outside the box and find solutions so that they may live their own dreams and leave behind a legacy that will help others excel as we have inherited those opportunities.
I trust that Governor Mark Sanford, his cabinet and his family are inspired to make our state a better place. In August, Mark will introduce me at my keynote to the National Governors Association event.
Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford with Darlene and I at the State Capitol