Leadership

Stories

    Joe Smith was a loyal carpenter who worked almost two decades for a successful contractor.  The contractor called him into his office one day and said, "Joe, I'm putting you in charge of the next house we build.  I want you to order all the materials and oversee the job from the ground up."

    Joe accepted the assignment with great enthusiasm.  He studied the blueprints and checked every measurement and specification.  Suddenly, he had a thought. If I'm really in charge, why couldn't I cut a few corners, use less expensive materials, and put extra money in my pocket?  Who will know?  Once the house is painted, it will look great.

    So Joe set about his scheme.  He ordered second-grade lumber and inexpensive concrete, put in cheap wiring, and cut every corner he could.  When the home was finished, the contractor came to see.

    "What a fine job you've done!" he said.  "You've been such a faithful carpenter to me all these years that I've decided to show you my gratitude by giving you a gift  -  this house."

 Build well today.  You will have to live with the character and reputation you construct for tomorrow. 

"Triumph is just 'umph' added to try."

    Many years ago in England, a small boy grew up speaking with a lisp.  He was never a scholar in school.  When war broke out involving his nation, he was rejected from service, told that "we need men."  He once rose to address the House of Commons, and all who were there walked out of the room.  In fact, he often spoke to empty chairs and echoes.  But one day, he became Prime Minister of Great Britain, and with stirring speeches and bold decisions, he led his nation to victory.  He name was Sir Winston Churchill.

    Many years ago in Illinois, a man with only a few years of formal education failed in business in '31, was defeated in a run for the state legislature in '32, again failed in business in '33, was elected to the legislature in '34, but defeated for speaker in '38.  He was defeated for elector in '40, defeated for Congress in '43, elected to Congress in '46, but defeated in '48.  He was defeated for Senate in '55, defeated for the vice-presidential nomination in '56, and defeated for the Senate in '58.  But in 1860, he was elected president.  His name was Abraham Lincoln.

    No one is defeated until he gives up trying.

    When David was twelve, he convinced a restaurant manager that he was actually sixteen and was hired as a lunch-counter waiter for twenty-five cents an hour.  The place was owned by two Greek immigrant brothers, Frank and George, who had started their lives in America as a dishwasher and hot-dog seller.  David remembers that they set high standards and never asked anything of their employees that they wouldn't do themselves.  Frank once told David, "As long as you try, you can always work for me.  But when you don't try, you can't work for me."  Trying meant everything from working hard, to treating customers politely.  Once, when Frank noticed a waitress giving a customer a rough time, he fired her on the spot and waited on the table himself.  David determined that would never happen to him.

    The usual tip for waiters in those days was a dime, but David discovered that if he brought the food out quickly and was especially polite, he sometimes got a quarter as a tip.  He set a goal for himself to see how many customers he could wait on in one night.  His record was one hundred!

    Today, R. David Thomas is better known as "Dave," the founder and senior chairman of Wendy's, a chain of forty-three hundred restaurants.