A certified member of the Greatest Generation passed away last week. My dad typified the kind of gentleman who made the world we live in worthwhile. My brother’s obituary of him gives you a great sense of the man.
As business people, there are some important lessons from my father we could all benefit from. They may sound simple or sentimental but they are incredibly hard to live up to:
Don’t just say it, do it! Whatever it is, do the work. Work comes before play. And no matter how daunting or unpleasant, work is a source of both pleasure and enlightenment. A job well done stays with you and makes you a better and more interesting person.
Everyone you meet deserves respect and dignity. They have a story to tell and you might benefit from hearing it, so listen and give them the space and the ground to tell it as an equal human being.
Follow-up on your commitments. People deserve that from you and you will be rewarded in multiple ways for being good to your word.
Know what you’re talking about. Or listen to those who do. While my dad loved ideas and marveled at innovation and creativity, he was insistent on knowing the facts and understanding the argument. In his line of work -investments- he never accepted the press release or the punditry. He ran the numbers and reached out to those who could help him understand the details of a particular business or investment offering.
Don’t complain or draw undue attention to yourself. You can’t do anything about the water that has passed under the bridge. Focus instead on what you can do going forward. For my dad, optimism was your best head light AND tail light.
Be on time! Being on time is the simplest commitment you make, so punctuality should be easy. Plus, you can’t take on the world if you miss the bus.
Good manners are essential and they are only good if they come from the heart! My father had simply impeccable manners. They were natural. They came from inside because he always considered the dignity and interests of others. His chivalry was no game or ploy, it was simply the right thing to do … because men and women of all ranks deserved it.
Friendships are about your friends. Be a friend, no matter the circumstances. My father built wonderful enduring relationships because he never asked anything of friends but simply to be themselves. As a result, he kept an enormous correspondence and never failed to call or visit. He had friends all over the world. Nearly every family vacation was punctuated by hour or two visits with acquaintances he’d developed from childhood, college, the military, and through his professional life. It might be a rancher in Wyoming, or an aging bank secretary living in a trailer in Oregon, or his WWII bombardier in Pennsylvania who had fallen on rough times. It didn’t matter the person or the station, my dad never failed to reach out.
Bottom line, we could use a lot more Pres Brooks’s in our world! He lived a beautiful and meaningful life and we will miss him.