Arrested Development rapper challenges nurse leaders to cultivate bravery

Speech Thomas, the two-time Grammy Award-winning founder and lead singer of ’90s socially conscious hip-hop group Arrested Development, challenged attendees to cultivate what he called brave leadership. Thomas repeated a mantra that has guided him since before his group's rise to fame: "Do what you can with what you have and with the people around you." He traced the phrase to an anonymous boy in South Africa whose words, he said, inspired him to be resourceful during pivotal moments in his life. Thomas defined brave leaders as bold, resilient, adaptable, vulnerable and encouraging, illustrating each quality with stories from his life. Thomas was candid about how his own failures led to opportunities to pivot and described releasing a solo album that gained little traction in the United States, only to discover it had been No. 1 in Japan for months. Rather than abandoning the project, he booked a Japanese tour that quickly sold out. Thomas urged attendees to lead with courage and resourcefulness in their own organizations. "More than ever, people are thirsty for brave leadership," he said.