A tribute to my dad

As some of you in my network know by now, my dad passed away somewhat unexpectedly on the weekend. I'll save the personal reflections for other venues, but for LinkedIn I wanted to share some professional thoughts.

Like me, my dad was an entrepreneur. He helped form a company in the early 1980's that is still up and running today. He helped manage other companies at an executive level, and set out on his own as a consultant before his retirement. Clearly he knew a thing or two about the corporate world.

I've been frequently reminded by my business mentors that the most important part of any company's success is not the technologies, goods or services it offers, but the team. Who are the people, and can they deliver? Do they have the drive, the skills, the experience to push through the inevitable hardships?

My dad modeled what might be the closest to a perfect approach to building a business. He was a very hard worker. He took calculated, intelligent, risks and exhibited the grit necessary to push through the challenges that he confronted along the way. He also cared deeply for people. Hollywood (and a good portion of pop culture) likes to caricature "corporate executives" as money-hungry, and willing to sacrifice individuals for the sake of the sacred bottom line. Certainly there are some like that in the world, but my dad showed me a better way. Of course businesses need to take care of the bottom line, but they take of the business by taking care of people. My dad didn't "get to the top" by climbing all over people; he got there by raising others up in a self-sacrificial manner. He didn't boss people into submission; he worked alongside them toward a common goal.

My dad also showed me the incredible value of the proverbial work-life balance. I played basketball in junior and senior high school and I cannot recall my dad missing a single game in all those years. He may have, but I don't remember it. We camped virtually every summer and hiked almost every weekend it was nice enough to do so. On the one hand, he willingly put in hard hours for his work, and on the other hand he made sure his family was never pushed to the side. For him it wasn't just some hypothetical ideal forged in meaningless mission statements that no one ever reads, much less lives by. I can personally attest to the reality of this in his life.

And he never, ever, ran off with the secretary. My mom and dad were married in their early 20's and remained faithful to each other until he passed away in my mom's arms early Saturday morning.

It scares me, honestly, to think that I need to pick up that mantle. It's my turn to sprint with the torch. Will I treat people in my company with the same self-sacrificial love my dad treated his colleagues with? Will I find that precious balance so my wife and kids aren't trampled beneath my success? Will I one day hear my Saviour tell me - as I am certain he told my dad a few days ago - "Well done, good and faithful servant"?

Only by the grace of God.