Things I Learned From My Dad…

I am blessed that I still have both of my parents, and both are in good health. My dad is 92. Dad always wanted to be a minister, but had to stay home and run the farm as his dad was in poor health. He would have made a real good one… I need to tell him that… I know he would have been a good minister because he was such a good dad, and both need a lot of the same skills. So here are a few of the things I have learned from him over the years.

Keep your rows straight - He always took great pride in how his fields looked… nice straight rows. His secret to straight rows was looking ahead. When he struck out on a new field he would pick an object on the other end of the field and focus on that, heading straight toward it. Sort of like goals… begin with the end in mind, and always keep that in focus. Don’t let the everyday things happening around you distract you from that goal. Anyway, he tells of a time he did this and got to the other end only to find that the object he had set his sight on was a calf that was pacing back and forth along the fence line.

Creativity and ingenuity - Thinking outside the box is a buzz term that has been around for awhile, but I think my dad had that concept mastered years before. One example that stands out happened during harvest time. There was a rain storm moving in and Dad wanted to finish combining the field before it hit. As luck would have it, the main bearing in the feeder chain went out. The nearest part was hours away, and by that time the rain would be there. As Dad sat looking at what was left of the roller bearing, it struck him that bearing cylinders were about the same size as 16 penny nails. He grabbed a handful of nails, cut them to the right length, packed them back into the bearing race with grease, put it back together, and that home-made bearing ran on that old combine until it was retired several years later.

Looking after people - If you can claim one best friend in life you are fortunate indeed. A best friend is a rare and precious gift. I think there are several people who would claim my dad as their best friend. Why? Because he invested in them, cared for them and he looked after them. He was never too busy to help other people. He is the person who will drive over to check in on someone to make sure they are OK, or just give them a call to chat. He treated everyone with respect. It didn’t matter if it was the bank president or the kid that everyone else picked on. They were his friend.

I find myself getting so caught up with the fast pace that today's culture puts on us that it is easy to forget this. But it is so important, both in personal relationships and in business relationships.

Finally, my dad taught me that success isn’t how much money you make or how high you climb on the corporate ladder, it is how you touch those around you.

Thank you Dad.



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