I received the news last Saturday night, as messages had rippled their way from Nebraska to Louisiana, where I was attending a family wedding. The news had exploded to Pretoria, South Africa, to Singapore, to points around the globe and to members of a growing tribe. Our tribal elder, Curt Liesveld, had died while gardening at his home on Liesveld Pond. Leaning into the legacy of Curt, that night after receiving the news I continued with the family celebration, treasuring priceless moments with people about whom I care deeply.
In the days since, voices from around the planet have mulled the impact of this man, whom I, like so many others, was privileged to experience as my teacher. Our thoughts and sympathies turn to his family, whom he loved so dearly, and to his colleagues, who were blessed with his collaboration.
In August of 2013, I spent a week in Washington, DC with the people in the picture above. Front and center in the dark jacket is Curt, whose warmth and humility and generosity and wisdom brought a group of strangers from around the world together that week and helped us become a community united by a common purpose: helping people grow. It was clear that Curt was a person who loved life and loved people and loved helping people fully develop their potential so they could live lives of well-being and well-doing. Curt cared. Deeply. He paid close attention to people. He studied human nature and relished moments when new insights occurred and light bulbs were lit in the consciousness of others. He encouraged. And he shared from the deepest well of insight, bringing the heart and compassion of a pastor, the intellect and analytical rigor of a scientist, the enthusiasm of a true Huskers fan, and the joy of a man deeply rooted in the love of his own family.
I've come to appreciate that Curt put flesh and bones on Donald Clifton's StrengthsFinder™ work, bringing it into living color by working deeply, person by person, to help people grow. One of Curt's refrains was that the world needs the strengths that each of us uniquely has to share and that by developing self-awareness we can become masters of our Strengths. In Curt, I saw a master of Strengths who was also a servant with Strengths.
From Curt, I will take forward some important lessons that he taught not only with words but also with actions.
Become the best you that you can be, and share yourself with the world so that others, too, have the freedom to be who they are and give what they have to give.
Each of us has the capacity to bring light into darkness, to see what is right in people and to work with others to help bring wholeness and hopefulness to this world.
Love your family. The investments of time you make with them are of immeasurable worth.
Hold onto the goal of a life of rich relationships and a balance between work and life outside of work.
Celebrate life and occasions with small gestures and grand gestures, because life is precious and is to be savored.
For those of us who work with Strengths, our greatest tribute to Curt will come from what we do because of who he was and what he equipped us to do. His wisdom will live on and will be magnified by our actions in this world, as we, like Curt, focus on what's right with people and on helping people grow.
Curt always closed his messages with these words: Be well and do good.
Curt, we will.
