Friday, April 23, 2010

A Tribute

I'm venturing off the beaten path here to pay tribute to one terrific lady, who left us on April 15th. Her name was Angeline (Angie) Goebel and I'm proud to say she was my Mother-in-Law. You might ask how this blog post relates to business. I'll get to that later in the post.


But first, let me introduce this fine lady to you. Angie was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and fell in love with her high school sweetheart, Ed - whom she married and spent her life with. She was the first person to Varsity in cheer leading for six straight years and was the Prom Queen her senior year in high school. She placed first in Wisconsin in fifth in the United States in a DECA (Delta Epsilon Chi) competition. She graduated from college at age 54, with a degree in industrial marketing. She was a staunch Republican and a devout Catholic. She was a successful business woman. She never met a person she didn't like and we couldn't name a person she'd met who didn't like her. But perhaps the thing she was most proud of was her two daughters (Cheri and Lori, my wife) and her four grandchildren (George, Marie, Natasha and Courtney).

How does this apply to business? In every way. Too many times we get caught up in climbing the ladder or in furthering the company, business or practice to realize one thing. The receptionist you employ is somebody's daughter, or mother, or both. The same for that customer or prospect you just encountered, the woman who rang up your order, the lady who cleans your office. It's the human side of the business. One day we all face the inevitability that we are here but for a short while. Take the time to let those you encounter know you value them as a human being. And when you get home tonight after grinding out a hard day's work, don't forget to give those you love a hug and let them know you love and value them. We never know when we'll no longer have that privilege.

Rest in peace, Mom ... until we are reunited again.

No comments:

Exclusive!!!