From Three Hots and a Cot to an Eames Chair

When my Uncle Lloyd died last year, he left me his prized Eames chair. I think he chose to give it to me because he knew I studied leadership and made my career building organizational muscle.

He and I spoke about Herman Miller, marveling how the company was so ahead of it’s time back in the 1920’s, and how they understood the value of talent, community, and innovation. Having studied Herman Miller, I remember telling my uncle how well the company was managed and how in 1927, D.J. DePree, its founder, vowed to build an employee-centric company.

Out of Herman Miller came one of the most iconic pieces of furniture, The Eames Chair. It was released in 1956, fulfilling a vision to create a chair with “the warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman’s mitt.”

After watching how his father, D.J. DePree, led and managed Herman Miller, his son, Max DePree, carried on his father’s employee-centric philosophy and legacy. Max believed:

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant and a debtor. That sums up the progress of an artful leader.”?

Back in 1986, Max DePree listed the following characteristics a future leader would need to have to be successful. Like the classic Eames chair, this list has held its value.

• has consistent and dependable integrity?
• cherishes diversity
• searches out competence?
• is open to contrary opinion?
• communicates easily at all levels?
• understands the concept of equity and consistently advocates it
• leads through serving?
• is vulnerable to the skills and talents of others?
• is intimate with the organization and its work?
• is able to see the broad picture?
• is a spokesperson and diplomat
• is a good story teller ?
• tells why rather than how

I’m so grateful my uncle bequeathed to me this iconic chair. Uncle Lloyd was a man who, in his boyhood, watched as cyclones wiped out the family farm — twice!

A man who dropped out of high school to join the Marines, following his brother overseas to fight in WW2. He wrote home telling his mom how he felt like a rich man because he had “three hots and a cot” and military-issued boots. Lloyd served in the Marine Corps for 19 1/2 years and retired as the Vietnam war was looming.

He became a city manager and the frugalness of his youth served him well. Uncle Lloyd moved up rapidly, became successful and with his great sense of style bought an Eames chair.?

The Eames chair. When Ray and Charlie Eames, a husband and wife design team at Herman Miller, designed a piece of furniture, they consistently took a human-centric approach. This team ended up being among the most influential designers of the 20th century.

These chairs are comfortable, beloved, and iconic — and it’s amazing to me that my uncle who, like my mother, grew up in poverty, was able to go from three hots and a cot to an Eames chair.