At Home CEO Called as Local Church Leader

Feature Photo: Left to right: Steven Woodland, 1st counselor; Lee Bird, Stake President; Ryan Elmer, 2nd counselor (Photo by Clairissa Cooper)

Lewis L. (Lee) Bird III wears many hats, juggles a lot of plates, and all of the other proverbial cliches of a successful professional.

As Chairman and CEO of Plano-based home decor retailer At Home, Bird is well acquainted with the myriad of roles that beget such a position. Most notably, leadership.

Bird’s leadership role expanded in May when he accepted a call to serve as the Stake President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Lewisville Texas Stake.

In the Church of Jesus Christ, a local congregation is called a ward, and a collection of wards within that geographical area makes up a stake. As stake president, Bird will preside over nine congregations and roughly 3,600 church members in west Lewisville, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Argyle, Lantana, Lake Dallas, and surrounding areas.

Simply put, a stake president is analogous to a CEO.

Rather, instead of growing a company, he facilitates the growth of faith, hope, and lasting peace. Instead of revenue being the indicating factor of success, healing individual souls one by one is the focus. In place of happy shareholders, there are strengthened families and ministering to the poor in spirit.

And rather than a paycheck, this position is unpaid. The Church of Jesus Christ is led by a lay ministry, and all positions within a ward and stake are volunteer. All church members work in their regular careers – in Bird’s case, leading a nearly $2 billion company – while spending hours of their time outside of work to serve.

No Stranger to Adversity

Navigating the treacherous waters of a pandemic, Bird captained At Home to its best year on record. It’s just one of many examples of Bird’s ability to succeed in the face of adversity.

Lee and Linda, his wife of 34 years, are parents to eight children. Their third daughter passed away as a newborn from complications of a heart defect. Bird’s voice chokes up when he talks about her.

“Faith is personal to me because I have a daughter who died and went to heaven. Where did she come from? Why was she here, and where is she now? Am I ever going to be with her again? Faith gives me those answers, which gives me hope. It gives me purpose. It gives me perspective, especially when things don’t always work out.

“If I didn’t have those answers, [my life] would be empty. Faith gives [my life] meaning. I lean on my faith to be happy.”

Bird is also a cancer survivor. Before joining At Home, he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. After a failed attempt at chemotherapy, he was told that his form of cancer was untreatable. He continued to pursue other options and was given the opportunity to be part of an experimental trial at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. After months of following the protocol and experiencing painful side effects, the treatment worked. To this day, he is in full remission and cancer-free.

Bird credits these challenging and painful life experiences to becoming a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

“These things soften you. They help you understand that everyone is going through something hard,” said Bird.

“I’m a much better friend now [to those who have] a broken heart and have lost a loved one. I understand the pain of going through medical treatments, and […] know the feeling and risk and worries […] and losing the chance to be with your family. I’ve been fired from a job before […] so I get it when people lose their job and how scary it is because you have to provide for your family.

“All these things are actually blessings because then I’m a better friend. I’m grateful for my life experiences. All of them. It’s made me a better person. And hopefully, that makes me more helpful to other people.”

Bird credits a quote from former Church President Gordon B. Hinckley to getting him through challenging times, both professionally and personally. During a particularly difficult time for Bird in 2019, he read Hinckley’s quote aloud to himself every morning before starting his day.

“It isn’t as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don’t worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. If you do your best, it will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsake us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers.”

Ministering to the One

There’s a reason Bird was named Most Admired CEO by the Dallas Business Journal in 2018. He personally interacts with At Home employees – no matter their title. From entry-level hourly employees to management, you’ll find him walking around the office, visiting stores, or connecting on social media and asking At Home team members about their families, their interests, and how he can help them.

“It comes from a belief set that every role is equally important. The roles are just different,” said Bird.

“My question is always how can I help you? What’s getting in your way? What’s discouraging for you in the company that I can fix? I really do believe my job is to serve everybody else.”

Bird carries that mindset forward into his church service as well.

“To be an effective servant, an effective leader in the role of acting in behalf of the Savior and our Heavenly Father as one of His children, I take that view in my company. I serve the team. What do you need from me? How can I be helpful?”

Called to assist Bird in his stake presidency duties are Steven Woodland of Flower Mound as 1st counselor and Ryan Elmer of Flower Mound as 2nd counselor. Woodland is Vice President of America Sales at Ekahau, and Elmer is Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Lewisville-based Parkway Construction and Architecture.

More information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as well as meetinghouse locations and meeting times can be found at churchofjesuschrist.org.