When you read, do the words provide you with a
teaching such as they do in a parable? What is your favorite book you have
recently read? Why?
I pulled four different books as I cleaned my bookshelf off at home. None of
these books have made it to the bestsellers list like The Bible and you probably have not heard of
these authors: If You Get A
Moment Would You Please… and Lessons from Lou by Louis H. Pepper; Ike’s Principles: 11 Ways his
Heritage has guided his life by
Tsuguo “Ike” Ikeda, and The
Sun is Always Shining Above the Clouds by
Tina Barbaro Polis.
The words in these books have resonated within because
I am familiar with the authors like I am with The
Bible.
The author’s work I have recently learned lessons from
was Louis H. Pepper. The following was written by Washington Mutual when Lessons From Lou was published.
Lou Pepper is an American Original. A man of great
financial savvy and salty irreverence, he is credited with shaping one of the
most successful corporate cultures in America. Mr. Pepper’s relationship with
Washington Mutual (WAMU) began in 1953, when he worked as a lawyer for the
Seattle-based bank. But it was not until almost 30 years later that Mr. Pepper
was given the task that would change his life and that of Washington Mutual’s
shutdown – instead, he turned the company around and launched a period of
explosive growth.
I closed out my long-time small savings account at
Fort Wayne National Bank when I moved to Seattle from Fort Wayne, Indiana in
August 1999. The teller gave me a money order that I did not let out of my
sight. I noticed a Washington Mutual Bank in the Fred Meyer’s in Renton,
Washington. I walked in and opened a savings and free checking account. Little
did I know I would learn lessons in years to come from WAMU’s previous
President and Chief Executive Officer.
I would have conversations with Lou on Sunday
afternoons. Lou stories were wonderful about his life. He never talked about
work, only family. I never asked him about his work. I always imagined him as
the person who made my favorite soda pop as I grew up: “Dr. Pepper.” Someone
asked me if I knew the man I visited with on Sunday afternoons. I answered:
“Lou.” She encouraged me to ask him about his occupation.
I never Googled Lou, instead I asked him. He smiled.
He shared stories about his career in weeks to follow. Lou shared his books and
lessons wth me.
The
first lesson was about success. It reaffirmed for me that success is a journey, not a destination.
Chapter One
Success
You will ultimately not be judged by how fast you traveled or how far
you have
come,but by what you did
along the way
and how you left the people you passed.
In course of my legal and banking career, I have seen
many young stars rise to fantastic heights in business in a very short time.
Some stay on top. Others like a rocket on the fourth of July arc up and fall
ignominiously, just as fast as they went up.
I found that most of fell had gained a lot of their
success by stepping on people around them. No one mourned their falling.
Others were plain good and were helped greatly by the
people with whom they worked. They were the ones who succeeded long term. I
summarized this phenomenon with the sentence at the top of this page.
This is the real test of success, no matter how high
you may rise.
I thought about my time as a WAMU customer. The bank
had a small but nice corporate office, and they built a 42-story office tower
in 2006. They were seized and closed in 2008. I remember walking into the WAMU
Harvard branch on Broadway in the Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. I closed
my accounts and walked into the Wells Fargo branch down the street.
The banker greeted me and asked about the reason for
my visit. He was more than happy to assist. I stopped his spiel and inquired
about my free gift. Would I receive a toaster or toaster oven? He politely
laughed. I said that I expected a free gift before his explanation of services.
He handed me an inexpensive pen with the Wells Fargo on it. I pointed at the
extra-large stuffed horse in the display. He brought the horse to me, and I
opened accounts. I carried my free gift to the door when I left the
banker's cubicle. He said, "You're not taking that. Are you?" I smiled and replied, "I am. Please open the door."
I ran into this banker a few weeks ago at a different
branch, and he was curious about the horse. I shared with him about slowly
walking to Swedish Medical Center, where I had been a Chaplain Resident. I proceeded
to the pediatric floor. I knew the floor nurse and asked her if there was a
child who would like the horse. I gave the horses reigns to her in a matter of
speaking. She delivered the horse. I did not want to learn about the child or
family. I believe they should have their privacy. I was there to give a gift
with no strings attached.
Giddy up! Now that's success.
The lesson that I continue to read and reread is Don’t Let Your Smarts Ruin Your
Career.
Chapter Fifty-four
Don’t Let Your Smarts
Ruin Your Career
My first rule in hiring was to hire the smartest
person I could get, as long as they were nice. So I welcomed some really smart
people. But there is a problem with some smart people. They like to show how
smart they are I once asked an employee. I once asked an employee how it was
going with a new boss. He was forthright in his response. He said that he was
very smart, but that he used his smarts to dominate people more than to help
them.
So all of you smart ladies and gentlemen out there
should ponder that bit of wisdom and be sure your smarts don’t harm your career
instead of helping it.
One of the smartest people I know was working in a
group, and one of the people in it told me: “You know, after working with
her for a while, I realized that she was really really smart. If people
discover your fine qualities for themselves, they really impressed. If you tell
them about your fine qualities, even subtly, they are always very unimpressed.
And you know, if someone who acts really smart, there
is always some person in the group who will get his jollies out of tripping him
up. Ask me. I’ve been there. As the tripee.
Good
luck.
Thank
you, Lou, for not tripping me. You have taught me valuable lessons, including: Mistakes, Eat in the Company Cafeteria,
Humility (Don't be a Pain in the Ass), Dignity, and Smile! Ever
The best lesson Lou taught me was not in his book.
He reminded me to be careful if I attempted to ride a bike in a swimming pool.
There will be resistance and shift gears.
