The Best Business Advice I Learned From A Simple Yet Extraordinary Man

While a school MBA can teach you the nuts and bolts of running a business, who teaches you about the kind of character you should aspire to develop to be a good leader?

This isn’t a millionaire story. The person I want to tell you about today didn’t invent some famous company or strike it stinking rich. But he achieved something I believe is worth just as much: a good, happy life.

He never complained, his life was truly happy, he married the love of his life despite family and societal divides, and he is what I would call self-made. He returned to school later to get his GED, which is an alternative to the traditional high school diploma. Furthermore, he served in WWII and was deployed to Hawaii, where he was an aeroplane mechanic for the Air Force fighting the Japanese.

My maternal grandfather, Nino Francisco Diani, never ran a business. In fact, born poor into an immigrant family with a stay-at-home mother, an artisan father, and three siblings, my grandfather had to drop out of school at the age of fourteen to help his family.

Despite this, I learned skills from him that strongly formed the values I use today as an entrepreneur.

1/ Build Your Network

This sounds so cliché, but successful business people rarely get rich alone in some basement somewhere. It takes connections to make it big. My grandfather was so well-liked that in public, we almost always bumped into some friend of his. His personality was such that people enjoyed his company. I think you can judge a person's life by the number of people at someone’s funeral, and his was packed. Not only that, but people stood in line just to say a good word about him. Being likeable is such a great asset to one’s business or career. Popularity always ends up doubling your opportunities. I’d say my grandfather was rich in this regard.

2/ Killer Work Ethic

My grandfather never missed a day of work in over thirty years. He was the most reliable person I know. People valued him because of his reputation for being a hard worker. When he wasn’t at work, he cared for his house, car, and yard and helped others. He also relaxed, but never in a messy house or when the grass needed mowing or a friend needed him.

3/ Help People As Much As You Can

My grandfather delivered groceries, mowed lawns, and shoveled snow for the elderly or sick. If someone were stranded 30 miles away, he would be the one they call to come to help fix a bust tire or jump-start their car. And he did it without any second thoughts because that was the kind of man he was.

4/ Live By Your Values

Show me your values, and I’ll know who you are. My grandfather embodied kindness, generosity, hard work, and love for family and friends. His biggest joy was spending time with his wife, daughters, and grandchildren. When I recall my early holidays, I see him in every happy memory. Most importantly, you knew he cared deeply about others. I’m not saying you need to be a family man to be successful in business, but others should be able to recognize your values by how you show up.

5/ Develop True Expertise

My grandfather had a city job for over thirty years, but he learned everything about construction, landscaping, and mechanics outside of work. He taught himself how to build houses and built the one he and my grandmother lived in until their deaths. He knew electrical, plumbing, woodworking, and much more. In addition, he learned how to be a mechanic and knew everything about cars. These two specialties helped him so much in life, not only saving thousands of dollars for himself and his family but also for his friends, whom he did favors, and generously repaid.

6/ Never Stop Being Curious

Grandfather Nino taught me to love learning. He was a huge history buff and could always be found reading a historical novel or watching biographies or documentaries in the evenings. He asked people many questions and showed a true interest in learning about others’ cultural backgrounds.

7/ Laugh Daily

My grandfather was one of the most positive people I ever met. He would instantly light up any room he entered and the moods of the people in it. I can still hear his full belly laugh. In fact, some of my clearest memories of my grandparents, both now deceased, were of them laughing together.

8/ Master Your Emotions

Nino was uniquely able to stay calm when others around him were not. He told me he learned this skill during the war. Self-mastery is a noble endeavor. My grandfather knew how to calm someone down when they would get angry.

9/ Find Your Faith

My grandfather was a believer in God. But it wasn’t the religion itself that I found admirable as much as his deep beliefs. He never seemed worried because, as he told me, he knew he was in good hands. And his faith guided him through two heart attacks and my grandmother’s breast cancer.

10/ Everyone Needs Alone Time

Despite being such a hard worker and loyal friend, Nino took time for himself. He loved to hunt and fish. He also took long walks by himself. In his 60s, he developed a love for cycling and would leave for hours on end. He also took semi-annual trips to Canada to fish and camp. Nature was his remedy for everything. Best of all, he didn’t bring a phone. He simply told his wife which day he’d be back.

Conclusion

You can find role models in all areas of life. I’m blessed to have had such a wonderful grandfather, and I miss him every day. But I carry his lessons inside of me. Hopefully, I am passing on these teachings to my children and all those who interact with me long enough.