During the BYU Marriott School of Business April 2025 convocation ceremonies, guest speaker Lee Bird spoke with graduates about lessons he’s learned throughout his career, but his career advice went beyond the workplace: Bird said that partnering with the Savior has brought blessings both in his career and life.
Originally from Boston and a convert to The Church Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bird earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Ithaca College and an MBA from Babson College. He is currently the chairman and CEO of At Home Group, a retail company that sells home decor, and is on several leadership committees, including the BYU Marriott National Advisory Council. Prior to joining At Home, Bird worked in management positions at Nike, Gap, and Old Navy.
As he reflected on his professional experience, Bird emphasized to graduates the importance of combining both spiritual and career goals. “I’ve found that career building and kingdom building are not mutually exclusive,” Bird said. “In fact, when brought together, they create a powerful combination.”
He offered three principles for graduates to apply as they strive to partner with the Lord in a new chapter of their lives.
First, Bird advised graduates not to “bifurcate”—or divide—their lives, and he shared an example of how he learned this principle while being considered for the CEO position at Gap.
Part of the Gap interview process included being observed at work and home by an executive coach, and at the close of the assessment, Bird was told that while he was warm and loving at home and church, he seemed impersonal and guarded at work. “[The coach] shared with me that great leaders lead not just the minds of the people but their hearts as well,” Bird explained.
While the feedback was difficult to implement, Bird gained perspectives from the examples of “servant-leaders” around him. “Be a servant-leader, a Christlike leader, and bring your whole self as a disciple of Christ to the office,” he said.
Bird taught that as graduates bring their whole identity to work, it’s also important to implement the next principle: working hard. “After [you get] your foot in the door, employers and bosses don’t really care about where you went to school, but they do appreciate those who work hard,” Bird said.
While Bird saw benefits of hard work throughout his career, he also saw blessings in his personal life. He shared that when his daughter, Kelsey, was born with a congenital heart condition, he and his wife counseled with the Lord and decided it was best to bring Kelsey home to spend her last days with the family. At the same time, he was working a double shift at Ford and serving in his ward’s bishopric. Bird said as he relied on the Savior’s healing power to find peace with his daughter’s passing, he also found healing in focusing his energy on working hard. “As I look back on that challenging chapter, I was blessed in so many ways,” Bird said.
The last principle Bird shared focused on remembering to “pray and seek the Lord’s guidance daily.”
During the pandemic, Bird was the chairman and CEO of At Home, and the company was forced to close all their stores. This presented several struggles, including paying for retail space, building new stores, maintaining revenue streams, and more. However, Bird said he navigated the difficult situation as he sought guidance from the Lord every day.
“I prayed with all my might and then got off my knees and worked to help At Home survive so it could later thrive,” Bird shared. “I encouraged my entire executive team to do the same.”
Bird describes making it through the pandemic as a miracle both for his career and his testimony. “[My family and I] learned over the years that the Lord used my career to get our family where we needed to be for each individual and where the Lord needed us to serve,” Bird explained. “The job was just the facilitator.”
At the close of his remarks, Bird encouraged students to remember these principles as they strive to work side-by-side with the Savior in their careers: “Please partner with Lord in your careers,” Bird said. “As you do so, you too will be blessed beyond measure.”