WK 3 Reading: Who Invented Rule Number 6?

All of my life I have been told to take things seriously. Statements like Double check your work, pay attention, no mistakes, work harder, or life is a competition have all been feed to me every day as I was growing up. It came to a point in which I though anything less than an A was unacceptable, no matter how much time and effort I have put into it. Conversely, also as I was growing up, I was inspired by my Grandpa, a Vice President of the largest Winery in the United States, who was constantly happy and always had a smile on his face. When I would visit him at work, his employees always greeted him joy and gratitude, and not the false kind of smiles employees normally give their boss. Later on in life after college and struggling to find my place in the world, I asked my then retired grandpa how he did it. How did he become so successful, run such a great operation, and have hundreds of loyal employees. My Grandpa told me he was just happy to have made it as far as he did, he would say “A man with only a 5^th grade education had no right to make it as far as he did.” He told me that you have to be the kind of boss who knows he does not know everything. You have to be the kind of boss who takes chances, not only on ideas but also on people. If you surround yourself with people you trust and who conversely love you, you will be successful in anything you do. 

In this week’s reading I could not help but think back to the advice my grandpa gave me over the years and smile. Rule number 6 was my grandpa’s number one rule, don’t take anything too seriously and know that any mistake can be corrected, so one should not dwell on those mistakes. For someone to be a successful leader he must lead by example and believe in the people they work with. My grandpa would never hire from outside of his plant, he would only promote those who proved themselves with hard work and effort. His bosses would always ask him to hire emerging college graduates, but my grandfather thought it was better to hire a high school educated worker who would put himself on the line for his boss, rather than fresh out of school student who had not yet proved himself. In over 42 years of being in charge of two of the largest wineries in the world, he had the best running and most highly skilled workforce in all of the company. Yes my grandpa Led by example, put his trust and reputation in many “unqualified” workers, and always had a smile on his face. Yes I believe he invented Rule number 6.

My Grandfather died with me holding his hand on Mothers Day morning Sunday May 13th 2012. He will always be my hero, my inspiration, my spark and my best friend. The world seems a little less bright without him, but he will always be in my heart, my soul and my smile. I love you pop.