Lessons from My Dad

For over 40 years, my father worked for Pacific Bell Telephone Company in offices throughout Northern California. He spent the majority of that time in senior management, overseeing hundreds of employees across multiple functional areas.

I learned a great many lessons from him. For purposes of this article, I want to mention several things that have helped me considerably throughout my professional marketing career and that I frequently pass along to others at various stages of their professional development.

Being Late Is Unacceptable

The “spring forward, fall back” clock-setting process of daylight saving time was always an adventure in our home. My father would enlist the entire family to help ensure that all clocks (including those on appliances) were in perfect synch. And, I mean perfect synch. Similarly, when we agreed on a time to leave the house for any family outing, he would always sit behind the wheel of the car several minutes prior to launch in order to guarantee an on-time liftoff. It is safe to say that, in my father's world, time was very important. As a result, it became very important to me.

All kidding aside, being late is unacceptable. Too harsh? Not really. It is the truth and something we need to own. Your punctuality, regardless of occasion, speaks volumes about you.

Unfortunately, many, if not most, people consider a meeting time or project deadline a mere guesstimate of something that may or may not occur. No one is perfect. Certainly, there are times when a true emergency or an unavoidable circumstance arises. But when it happens to me, I give a detailed account of why I was late, apologize and assure others it will not happen again.

There are reasons we set meeting times and establish due dates. They allow for a coordination of efforts, they maximize time and they help set expectations. To disregard such guidelines is, among other things, disrespectful, inconsiderate, unprofitable (especially when considering attorneys' billable hours) and disorganized. Think of how productive (and perhaps relaxing) your life would be if everyone just did what they said they'd do, when they said they'd do it. In the words of Bill Shakespeare ' “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”

Be Fair; Be Honest; Be Consistent

As I climbed the corporate ladder, I would frequently seek my father's advice on management and leadership principles. Regardless of the specific topic, he would often return to the same advice ' “Always strive to be fair, honest and consistent, especially when overseeing the work of others.”

For him, fairness in the management context meant holding all team members to the same standards, and not expecting or demanding more from those individuals than you would expect or demand from yourself. Honesty, when boiled down to its core elements, is saying what you mean and meaning what you say.

My father felt the business world was filled with too many people who only embraced the call for honesty when conveying “soft” news or, in the alternative, when conveying unavoidable or difficult information. But most business circumstances and interactions fall somewhere in between ' where honesty is needed the most. Consistency is, by definition, “the ability to maintain a particular standard or repeat a particular task with minimal variation.” Easy in theory. Often difficult in practice.

While my father was quick to mention that application of these principles does not automatically entitle one to sainthood, it does help set up a team for short- and long-term success, as departments are run with more efficiency, better communication and a greater level of trust and focus. In his mind, adherence to such core principles captures the essence of true integrity.

Sweat the Details

Ok, another childhood flashback. After washing the car or watering the yard, my father would meticulously roll up the garden hose in a clockwise direction. The process was so precise, in fact, that the stain of the near-textbook circle remains on the driveway to this day ' a reminder that perfection, while not often the result, can still be the goal ' even in the simplest of tasks.

It is easy in today's business climate to get too focused on the details of a particular endeavor and not consider the broader firm- or business-wide objectives (the clich'd 30,000-foot view). Fair enough. And, yes, in a perfect world, there is harmony between macro and micro views. However, in our delicate balancing act of the marketing execution skill, there is the need for a tremendous focus on the details. Think delivering on budgets, bringing on staff, award/directory submissions, RFPs, media campaigns, business development plans, presentations, results ' none can happen without attention to the details.

A good execution team keeps in mind both the big picture and a focus on the details. Without both, details can slip or slide off course and drift away from strategy. Small details can grow into big nasty cracks, dividing parts of the plan and confusing or alienating people.

Those details that fall through the cracks can undermine the very strategy we are aiming to support. Details can frustrate even the most patient professional, but ignoring or discounting them and not getting them right can sink a project. Do what is necessary to navigate those waters efficiently. Your credibility and the success of your attorneys and firm often depend on it. Focus. Plan. Organize. Execute.

Don't Try to Be Something You're Not

Throughout his long career, my father had the opportunity to hire, mentor and promote numerous individuals. It always frustrated him when people would try to mold themselves into something they were not or construct an insincere facade. He would say, “Whenever you try to emulate someone else's behavior or present some image of how you think you should be, it will end badly ' I guarantee it.” But why?

Your true self, the attributes and characteristics that make you who you are, goes far deeper than you think. In addition to your own unique DNA and upbringing, your emotions, thoughts and behavior at any point are dictated by knowledge and experience you have accumulated over decades. You really can't fundamentally change who you are. And, any attempt to do, regardless of societal pressure to manipulate your personality and conform to so-called cultural norms, is misguided and will be perceived as disingenuous. At worst, over time your carefully constructed persona will crack under the strain of reality. The more you fight it, the more the cracks will show. Eventually it will break.

What makes us unique is the sum total of all our qualities and experiences. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. That's why you can have odd mannerisms and strange quirks and still have a powerful presence. It's how it all comes together that matters. Don't mess with it. Be the best version of you, not some false replica of someone else. That is the best chance you have for career success and happiness in this world.

Conclusion

I carry with me every day the business lessons I learned from my father. In fact, I keep a scrapbook of his career highlights on my office desk (perhaps as my own form of a security blanket). The further I progress in my career, the more I realize the impact he had on me, both personally and professionally. And, although I can no longer share my various successes with him, I find comfort in believing that he would be proud ' even when that garden hose doesn't fall into a perfect circle.

David McCann, J.D., is senior manager of marketing and communications at Snell & Wilmer, a business law firm with offices throughout the western United States and in Mexico. He can be reached at 602-382-6517 or [email protected].