He was brilliant, earning a Ph.D. in plastics, besides being an outstanding student in many other ways. Soon after earning his doctorate, he was employed by a small Silicon Valley firm, which allowed him to innovate. He soon was inventing unusual uses for plastics, and because of his contributions, the firm he worked for was purchased by another company. Wisely, they paid him handsomely and invited him to join them in their new firm.
With his newfound assets, he decided he wanted to be his own boss and purchased a manufacturing business in a different town. He heard of me and wanted my help to build the best staff with the best communication possible. I began to work with him and his key people, and together we built a tremendous inner circle.
As a leader, he used his power to empower all those who worked for him. He was a serious student, so working with him was a wonderful experience. He wanted to create a working environment that functioned as a community where dialogue and a level playing field became the prime objectives.
It was a wonderful experience for me in that all I believed, studied, and wanted for myself and others, he also believed and wanted. Being responsible and vulnerable, being open and receptive, is who he was then and now.
My memories of the person I write of are full of “good feelings.” How much better does it get when you are paid to teach and share certain irrefutable truths with another? I thank him.
Eventually, he had to deal with another unusual person that joined his firm with plans to take it over and whose points of view were opposite to everything he believed in. But that is another story I will be sharing.
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