Steven K. Scott

Steve was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1948, to Gordon Scott, a highly decorated WW II Air Force pilot, and Mickey Scott who in addition to being the world’s best mom, was also a founding employee and officer of First Federal Savings, which grew to be Arizona’s largest Savings and Loan. Steve felt like the world’s luckiest kid with a wonderful mom and dad and a great older sister. His passion in his early years were baseball, ping pong and playing with a host of friends. Steve’s third grade teacher noted on his report card,

In Junior High, Steve was very self-conscious about his acne, his skinny frame, and his braces. And yet, in high school, his life was forever changed by three circumstances.

As Steve was starting high school, His father informed him that he would be taking two years of typing. “It became one of only three ‘all-out arguments,’ I ever had with my dad. I begged him to recant on his demand, because as far as I was concerned, typing was for girls. When I entered the class my worst nightmare was confirmed. Out of a class of sixty, fifty-six were girls.” Highly humiliated, Steve begged his father to consider a deal. If he could become the fastest typist in the class by the end of the year, would his dad let him out of the demand of completing a second year? Thinking Steve would never beat the other fifty-nine students, Mr. Scott agreed to the deal. This is where Steve Scott first learned the power of a true incentive. At the end of the first year, Mr. Scott received a note from the typing teacher that Steve was indeed the fastest typist in the class. Little did Steve know that his typing skills would change the entire course of his life—in high school, in college and in his career.

Because Arcadia High School did not have an R.O.T.C. (Reserved Officer Training Course), Steve joined the cadet program of the Civil Air Patrol (an auxiliary of the United States Air Force) at the beginning of his sophomore year. Because he was the only cadet in the squadron that could type, he received his first promotion within a month of joining. That promotion was so fulfilling that Steve went all out to complete all of the requirements for each rank advancement at an unheard of pace, achieving state and national recognition, winning various national awards and even being one of only eight cadets in America to receive Air Force flight training to become a private pilot (with a glider rating) at the age of 16. He became the top ranking cadet in the state of Arizona and one of the top in the nation. Steve’s experience in the Civil Air Patrol created a personal realization that extraordinary success wasn’t dependent upon one’s education, economic status or personal background. He realized that extraordinary success could be achieved by anyone who becomes truly diligent in their pursuit of a goal. He realized that true diligence involved a number of critical components beyond hard work. He also realized that the vast majority of people are not truly diligent. Steve discovered that without true diligence he could accomplish little more than mediocrity in the pursuit of anything; but with true diligence, he could accomplish outcomes greater than he had ever imagine.