Dave Ramsey delivers Convocation message on the power of unity

Founder and CEO of Ramsey Solutions Dave Ramsey, an educator of personal finance whose organization has helped millions escape debt and build wealth, didn’t say much about money during his Convocation address at Liberty University Wednesday morning. Instead, Ramsey emphasized the power and importance of unity within an organization and outlined several enablers of a toxic business environment that leaders should avoid.

“It’s taken me many years and lots of hard work to create a culture inside our organization of unity and oneness,” Ramsey said. “When you walk into our organization, the air smells like it does here on this campus. There’s a sense of oneness, a sense of purpose, a sense of unity.”

Ramsey listed five destroyers of unity: poor communication, lack of shared purpose, gossip, unresolved disagreements, and sanctioned incompetence. He based his message on Psalm 133:1, which says, “How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

“I still cannot figure out what creates unity, but I’ve identified five things for sure that destroy it,” he said. “World changers, we have a job to fight against these five enemies of unity within any organization we’re a part of. … Anytime you see one of these five enemies pop up, you know that that organization is being toxic and ineffective.”

Ramsey later provided an antidote to these five deterrents: overcommunicate, embrace a clear mission statement, be a builder and encourager, work on conflict resolution, and make work expectations clear.

“To be unclear means to be unkind,” he said. “To be ‘unclear’ in the name of nice is not Christian.”

His message finished by spurring students to be exemplary members of their communities and workplaces, professionals who will embody unity every day.

“The spirit in this place, and you can feel it when you get on this campus, represents unity,” Ramsey added. “Go be a person who creates unity, not disunity. … Excellence in the ordinary on a daily basis changes everything.”

On Wednesday afternoon, the School of Business’ Center for Financial Literacy (CFL) hosted Ramsey for a Q&A session in the Towns Auditorium. The Center for Financial Literacy offers biblically based financial training to Liberty students, regardless of their situation. It offers peer financial coaching, investment and student loan calculators, a financial blog called Simply Money, as well as other free or low-cost tools for the Liberty community.

The special event was open to all business students.

Financial coaches from the CFL, who are all students, asked questions about investing, common mistakes people make after graduating, building and passing on a financial legacy, as well as a multitude of other questions related to time management, family, and character growth.