The Train

We were blessed to have my dad spend a month with us over the holidays and together we watched his retirement party from GE Medical Systems (just about 7 times!)?I digitized the VHS tapes along with his old speeches and some family photos.?Then, I sat back and watched his face light up as he recalled all the wonderful friends, colleagues, and memories.?I was struck by several things.?My dad had a wonderfully thick, New Jersey accent which had dissipated over the years.?And, many of the sentiments and messages from 30-years ago are completely relevant today.?While so much of our workday has changed at GE and across every company and industry, we are still rooted in one key success metric. Our ability to serve the Customer. ??

And at that, my dad was an absolute PRO.?He cut his teeth selling ear plugs door to door and many of those doors were slammed in his face, forcing him to hone his skills and ability to make a quick, yet authentic, personal connection.?Get their attention.?For my sister who teaches second grade, he said, “before any teaching can take place…get their attention” and referenced his high school Latin teacher that wore an old sheet with holes in it as they read the Assassination of Julius Caesar.?It was no different in business.?I recall hearing the story from one of his speeches to the GEMS Service organization.?Secretly, he had asked the sound crew to turn the microphone on and off as he started his speech.?With the sound phasing in and out, the team moved uncomfortably in their seats and finally someone yelled from the audience, “we can’t hear you!”??He looked at them, paused dramatically, and said, “now you know how the Customer feels!”

Shamelessly, I often sought my father’s council and he would repeatedly say, “Rachel, err on the side of the Customer and you can never go wrong.”?Meaning, if I was ever in doubt as to what to do, where I should spend my time or how hard I needed to push the business, think first about my customer.?If I was making a request or proposing a solution that was truly aligned to what the Customer needed and/or deserved, then I should stand strong.?His barometer was always the Customer and he said, “if you have the respect of your customer and they take the time to tell you, it doesn’t get much better.” I recall one GE Executive saying during his retirement party, “Jim was a consummate sales professional and always Customer first.”?This speaker went on to say, “Jim was outside in when outside in wasn’t cool.”?

It’s true….my dad sincerely loved and respected his customers and in return, he had very high expectations for himself and his team….he could smell a fake a mile away.?He said, “your biggest challenge and net worth is to know the Customer better than anyone.” And he wasn’t just talking about the executive suite.?From the janitor to the CEO, he treated everyone with the same level of respect and attention.?In his presence, you felt like the most important person in the world. ?He didn’t manage from behind a desk, he walked the halls with his team, taking on the hard tasks and truly believed, “you can’t sell anything if you are in the office.” While he loved the “smell of gunpowder” his proudest business accomplishment culminated in April 1996 at HCA.?With his team, he brought together trusted customer relationships with a $1.8B contract that “would be measured not in sales for GE but in productivity and cost savings for HCA.” A true win-win.

Sadly, my father passed away on January 13 and just prior to us completing this blog.?My family and many of you will carry on his legacy through your strong and authentic leadership. He took such incredible pride in knowing he had served his customers, his team, his family, and friends.?He taught us to never wait to celebrate, acknowledge and show love and appreciation to those around us. ??

My dad always spoke of the Train.?We spend too much time waiting to get to our final destination when it is really about the journey.?Man, he loved the journey, and we are all better for having sat alongside him. ??

God speed Dad.??