Your Word - a simple lesson from my father.

October 14, 2020

It has been almost eight years since I last heard my father’s voice, but his words have never left me. And tonight, they ring truer than ever. 

It is a beautiful crisp autumn night in Minneapolis as I write this by my outdoor fire pit, a glass of Scotch in one hand, a pen in the other, and the gaze of Mars – the brightest and closest it’s been in decades – ever-present from above. Perhaps it is this mystical combination of the elements that makes me feel the presence of my late father, for his aura was always authentic and simple in its clarity, as tonight’s sky is. “Your word is your signature,” his distant voice echoes in my head, as I look, mesmerized, at the magic of the glow of the stars and the planets above. Such counsel has become as rare nowadays as tonight’s unique positioning of Mars.

Over the course of his long career, my father sacrificed so much. He gave up the pleasure of being near his family so that he could provide for us, and he gave up the luxury of living in pleasant places so that we could. He gave up so much, but never wavered on his word or his commitments. Like most businessmen, my father entered into countless contracts over the many decades he spent running his own business. None were more binding, however, than the unsigned contractual promise of his word. Keeping his word was a value that was ingrained in his core – in the very fabric of his being – and which he consciously and deliberately instilled in me, not so much through father-son talk but through his every action. I am especially reminded of that today. 

Several months into a startup venture, I encounter firms whose actions contradict – in striking fashion – their written core values. Spellbound and entranced by the possibility of another buck, they tarnish their brand, corroding their professed core values to disingenuous ink on paper. 

Balance sheets have long considered ‘goodwill’ and ‘brand’ among a firm’s assets. Many shortsighted business operatives would trade those long-term assets for short-term gains in revenue. A word of counsel to all who venture into business, veteran and new: your brand lives long after your revenues have been counted for the year. You have a choice in deciding whether to make your brand an asset or a liability. For the former, keep your word, and with time, it will become your most valuable recession-proof asset. 

My father died a rich man. His wealth was not measured in dollars, but with a reputation of priceless value. I strive to live by his example every day. I start by keeping my word. 

? George Saad, 2020; ?Edited by Cynthia Saad.