(Almost) Everything I Learned My Father Taught Me
Tim Pratte
CEO & Early-Stage Investor | Expert in Culture, Growth, and Operations | Transforming Organizations for Success
Today is Fathers Day. I am always inspired on Fathers day by the numerous pictures, stories, and videos I see of fathers sharing time and inspiration with those around them. For me, my father has been gone for many years...since 1992, and that's OK, because his memory and lessons live on in my sister and I every day. Dad would have been proud of my sister and I for many reasons. He taught me almost everything I know about life and business, and without his influence while he was alive, and the tragedy of his passing when he did, I would not be the person I am today. Before I get into a few of the principles, it's important to know who Jerry Pratte was as a person. Above all, Jerry loved life, he had a boisterous personality and never met anyone he didn't like, or someone that didn't like him. He was a family man first, always wanting what was best for his family above all else. He was educated by the school of hard knocks, but he thought formal education important and distilled that into his kids. On the day of his death, he was accepted into the University of South Florida as a freshman to start in the fall of '92. Jerry was a serial entrepreneur, owning several businesses throughout his short life. He possessed that unique mix of awesome entrepreneurialism, leadership and management. He had some crazy ideas, and some of those ideas have come to fruition in other ways. I only wish he could have seen the evolution of silicon valley and how technology now influences our lives. His desire to help people everyday shaped his actions, both in business and life. Below are a few of the principles that have shaped me, and maybe your father shared similar concepts with you.
- If you Love What You Do...You Never Work a Day in Your Life. I found this advice to be supremely important growing up. Many books have touted the question "If you had all the money in the world, what would you do?" Finding purpose is critically important to success and most of all happiness. Purpose is only valuable in business though if others see value in it as well. That is a critical point missed by Dad, but one worth pointing out. I live everyday with purpose, attempting to help at every opportunity. Look for those things that make you happy and attempt to find a way to add value to others.
- Everyone is in The People Business. Business folks make various products, serve various customers, and so much to serve the economic good of society. Ultimately none of our businesses would succeed without the people we have hired, developed, treated well, and genuinely cared about. If you treat employees as "Human Resources" or another item on your balance sheet, then that is exactly how they feel. Leadership has to equate to genuine caring. If you care about your people, they will care about your business. This is a true servant leadership attitude.
- Live Life Like There is no Tomorrow. This is a lesson I did not learn until Dad's passing. Fortunately for me this is something to be learned early and although I cannot say I feel this way everyday, most days I try to accomplish things that feed my brain, body, soul, relationships, and family. This feels insanely difficult to accomplish on some days, and will make you feel like a failure sometimes. But do not let that deter your resilience.
- Family Always Comes First. Period. I meet people all the time prioritizing areas outside of family. Sometimes it is necessary to achieve temporary success by prioritizing things above family, but in the long run, family has to always come first. When you're hiring, be on the lookout for how someone prioritizes their life.
- Effort = Success. Dad always said "outwork everyone else." From a young age I was taught to outwork anyone around me. Admittedly I am never the smartest guy in the room, but I will work hard every day at everything I do. Dad always believed in being the first one in the office and the last to leave. Along side that, he would say, "Work smarter, no harder." At the time the two ideologies conflicted to me, but in reality the combination is lethal to productivity. In a connected world, work-life balance doesn't really exist. The transformation to work-life integration is in full effect, and if you have purpose, and work with people you love, then the effort really feels effortless.
I wish all of the Dad's out there a very Happy Father's Day. It's a great day to relax, spend time with family, and for each of us to think about how our own fathers influenced us to be the person we are today.
HR Consultant & Outsourcing Specialist | Talent Management Expert | Transforming Workforces & Strengthening Client Partnerships | Private Equity Value Creation
6 年Great article Tim...thank for you sharing with all of us.
President & CEO Greater Gallatin United Way
6 年Love this. Thank you. I was young when Dad passed and so grateful that you instilled these values in me. I attribute it to my success, drive and personal accomplishments. Thank you for posting this and reminding us what is important, today and everyday. You are amazing and yes sometimes the smartest in the room (when I'm not there), but always thoughtful, driven and eager to learn. Dad would be proud of you.?
Senior Salesforce Administrator at PrismHR
6 年He sounds like a great guy! I especially like #2.