Go Left There is a story, passed down a generation or two, of two men named William and Rich. It is a story of possibility, potential, and confidence, but it begins – with death. You see, William’s father was an important man who owned one of the largest delivery companies of the early 1900’s. William’s father passed, however, at a time when this major corporation was in the midst of a downturn. William was a tentative young man, and as such, did not find himself suitable for the position that his father’s passing had left him. Confidence is an essential quality for any leader to possess, and as the story goes, William had none. If there had been a way to escape his predicament, it is likely William would have, but unfortunately, he was the only heir to his deceased father’s throne. William began his new life of power exactly as his father had left it. He generally answered every question with, “What would my father have done?” and made his decisions based entirely upon whatever the answer to that question was. William continued his role in this manner for quite some time. A few years passed, and William strived to run his company exactly as his father would have. The story then tells of one sad morning when William found himself on a park bench. His head was in his hands, and quit was in his heart. Creditors were closing in on him, and the company’s competitors had stolen nearly all of his customers. It seemed that controlling his father’s company exactly like it had been done before was not in his, or the company’s best interests. William knew that his company was using out dated delivery methods. He knew that his company was spiraling downward, and that bankruptcy was near. He didn’t however, have the confidence to fix it. So he sat, alone and miserable for quite some time. Just as William was getting ready to leave the park and inform the members of the board that he would be resigning he heard, very faintly, the voice of an old man in his ear say, “I can see that something is troubling you son.” The old man said it with such sincerity, and it seemed as though William’s situation was doomed either way, so he decided it wouldn’t hurt to chat for a while with the old man. William proceeded to tell him about his troubles, and the old man listened. After a time, the old man carefully cleared his throat, and said, “I believe I can help you. Tell me your name son.” The old man scribbled in his checkbook for a moment and then pushed a check into William’s hands. “Take this money son, and in exactly one year from today I will be back on this park bench at this time. You can pay me back then.” The old man disappeared just as quickly and quietly as he had come. William could hardly contain himself when he looked down at his hand to see a check for $500,00, signed by John D Rockefeller. His problems were over! For the first time in his life William felt a bit confident. He had the solution to his problems right in the palm of his hand, “It’ll be here when I need it.” He thought and rushed home to put the check in his safe. With the safety net of Rockefeller’s money waiting for him, William made a drastic decision and did something that his father would have never done. He took a risk on a new development – the automobile. He extended his terms of payment to his creditors, and liquidated the last of his company’s assets. He closed deals with newfound optimism and confidence and in no time his company seemed to be climbing out of debt. Six months went by and the automotive took off at a rate that no one could have seen. While other delivery companies rushed to get their hands on this new form of transportation William had already reclaimed every bit of lost market share, and then some. Within the next six months the company that William’s father had started, was back on top. The one-year mark finally came and William couldn’t wait to return the check to old man without cashing it. He sat on that same park bench for a while waiting for the old man to return. At long last he finally saw the old man stumble around the corner. William wasted no time running to embrace him. With the old man in his arms, William heard a voice come from around the same corner, it was a nurse, and what she said astounded him, “Oh thank goodness! Thank you for catching him. Mr. Stewart here likes to escape from the nursing home and tell everyone that he’s John D Rockefeller.” Why do we need a safety net to take chances?
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 01:42:01 +0000
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