This past Tuesday, I was honored to deliver the address for a local Veterans Day observance. For just the second time since retiring from the US Coast Guard over seven years ago, I donned my uniform. I stood a little taller! It was a poignant reminder of what a privilege it was to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with others who had sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.
Core Values
As with all my talks, I started with the importance of core values. Two of mine are hard work and perseverance. I recounted the story of how, as a child, I spent summers back in the 1970’s working on a tobacco farm in the Connecticut River Valley. It was incredibly hard work. We were under close supervision and had to complete a quota of production (tying up or sewing the tobacco plants and leaves) each day to keep our jobs. There were no second chances and no excuses; you either got the job done or you got fired.
I was never the most gifted person in a group, so I compensated by working harder and faster. I soon discovered I could finish the quota requirement before the workday was over, and that extra production, called “piece work” earned me extra pay. Kind of like overtime. The piece work motivated me to do even more, and some of us girls would race to see who could do the most. I saved my base pay but used some of my piece work money to splurge on ice cream (and anyone who knows me knows how much I like ice cream!). Surprisingly, most of the girls were content with just getting by to make their daily quota, even if they were capable of doing more. The experience taught me a lot about human nature.
An Inspiration and Role Model
Fast forward 50 years and I’m now retired, living on Cape Cod. My husband and I recently contracted with a local man to come and haul away heavy equipment, such as an oil tank, furnace, and a massive coal burning stove, out of our house. I was shocked when my husband told me the man, Ray, was 77 years old and worked mostly alone. He applied every tool you can imagine to cutting up and dismantling the objects, then used a dolly and ramps combined with sheer physical and will power to move the pieces into his truck. I was pleased to see Ray brought an assistant to help with the heaviest objects.
I caught up with Ray while he was waiting for his assistant to arrive and asked him, “What is it that makes you do this kind of hard labor at your age?” He replied instantly, “I’m from the old school.” He followed up by explaining that he never wants to slow down and do nothing. That for 20 years he drove into Boston where he worked as a heavy equipment operator from 7:00am to 5:00pm. That he retired from that job then got every professional license available (except mortician!) and ran his own business, which he is still doing today.
I admire Ray. He’s a man who takes pride in what he does and who he is. He has achieved his version of success and thrives on the satisfaction that comes with a job well done. There are plenty of people Ray’s age who are fully retired, and people of all ages who are very capable yet content to do as little as possible to get the job done. Not Ray. He’s a man who strives to do more than the minimum. What an inspiration and role model for us all!
Look in the mirror: As a leader, how can you inspire and incentivize your people to do more than the minimum required?
Please join me again next time for more on Leading with Character.
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