Kindness in Business
Mr. Vincent, and stories that successful entrepreneurs cherish but won’t tell you.
You gave your all at your dream job. You've sacrificed personal time and passion. You endured seven years of daily 3-hour train commute from Tracy to Santa Clara (CA). Yet, this morning, a security officer escorts you to your office. HR shows you papers to sign that you are too confused to take in.
How do you feel yourself a member of the team?
How will you explain your day to your loved ones?
Does Calculus help you understand your new life as a number?
We express kindness whenever we recognize a person in a human we encounter. Older generations called it a virtue as it goes beyond politeness and policy. It is not mere payback but pay-forward. Kindness, like all virtues, plays a part in relationships, war, and in his series, in business.
I aim for a hundred audio clips over the next three months and at my usual irregular pace.
A favorite story from my dad.
My dad immigrated to Canada in the 40s. At 15 years of age, he joined a forge and then Renault Automobile in Paris at 16. He sustained himself for his first years in Canada by welding in Northern Ontario and Quebec. Yet, dad wanted a better and steadier income as his family grew. So, he got his hairdressing license and learned the ropes of a hairdresser salon.
The news of dad's departure from his last job caused a stir. The owner, Mr. Vincent, accused dad of stealing his customer.
Dad assured him: No, no, no, I'm going on the south shore of Montreal. I don't want your clients; I will find new clients.
Two years later, Mr. Vincent enters dad's shop to ask him to partner on a new location on the South Shore. Dad declined. At that moment, dad had no appointments, and his former boss coaxed him to take a quick drive. Once there, Mr. Vincent presented his former employee to the shopping mall owner as the man to close the deal.
That location was the backbone of my dad's business for 30 years. The two men remained good friends to the end.
