The Written Word, Part One: Lessons From Lou

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.