Well, I found out this morning that Mrs. Smolinski died last week. I wasn’t shocked, because I knew she had fallen ill late last year. But it got me to thinking a bit about my life and the people who have impacted me in so many ways.
Mrs. Smolinski ran Hilltop Bakery on the corner of my street. When I was a little kid, it was the one place I could get treats without crossing any streets at all, so I was there quite a lot. There were so many memories — the smell of flour, bread, and donuts and the machine-gun rattling of the bread slicer that they’d use to slice loaves right before your eyes to ensure maximum freshness.
And of course. there was Mrs. Smolinski’s perpetual smile, which she wore whether you were buying a single chocolate chip cookie (guilty on hundreds of counts) or a dozen donuts.
Today, I think about the fact that she probably got to the bakery about 3 a.m., worked like a dog to get everything ready to open, and not once — at least in my experience — forgot to smile, to say thank you, to value the business of even the runny-nosed, dime-toting kid.
Throughout our personal and professional lives, inspiration comes from many sources, and the wisest of us observe, learn, and use that inspiration to improve ourselves.
Several years ago when I worked on the Cleveland Home and Flower Show, a mammoth annual consumer event, there was a turnover in leadership that made me extremely nervous. Several people called me to encourage me to look elsewhere for a job, and that I’d be miserable working for the new manager, Ralph.
I decided to stick it out, and at first I thought I might be making a huge mistake. He was brash — often kind of a blowhard. He could have a massive ego, and people either loved or hated him.
As a non-profit event, we were governed by a board of trustees, which met quarterly to review show activities and finances. These meetings were usually pretty brutal. But for all his warts, Ralph would walk into the board room and heap all the praise for our success on the staff, and take all the arrows for our shortcomings. He defended us through everything, and I would have gone through a wall for the guy. While he might have inadvertently taught me 40 new ways to cuss, he also taught me some important leadership lessons.
These are by no means the biggest influences on my career and life, but certainly two that come to mind as having shaped my personal and professional perspective over the years. As I’ve visited many of you at your operations and conferences, I have been inspired countless times by your stories, struggles, and successes as you’ve worked to sustain and grow your businesses.
Later this year, we’re planning to give voice to some of your stories — who has most inspired you as a businessperson and what lessons did you learn from them? We will feature a number of these stories in the magazine starting this fall, as well as on our Web site.
You can submit your stories of inspiration directly to me via e-mail at this address: [email protected]. Or fax them to my attention at 440-942-0662.
Some people are born with the propensity to lead, but true leadership is learned and sharpened through experience and inspiration from others. We look forward to hearing your stories in the months ahead.
