“R” is for Randy
I am truly blessed to not only have one great father, but two. Two very different people, as well. To say the least, this dynamic has allowed me to be a part of two special relationships. It has allowed me to understand so much more about a father/son relationship as I journey down my own path as a father. Yes, they are both my dad and I would never consider them anything else. This is one of them.
Calm. Calm is something I haven't always been able to deliver consistently. It is something my father, Randy, hasn't always delivered consistently either. The only difference is that my struggle to stay calm is in big moments and his struggle is simply slamming the brakes for a simple stop. In fact, he has a very over-the-top personality and calm might not be the first thing you think about when meeting him. He understands that you have to be calm when it’s important and he nails it in those situations. The more important the situation, he knows that freaking out will not help you fix the problem. There are times when his initial response can be overreaction but he can refocus just as quickly. It is something that he has seen me struggle with and has helped guide me by example. I say by example for a reason. I have never really been someone to sit down and talk over things with people. I just like to “do” and then learn. I think Randy tried to apply conversational learning with me early on but he understood I learned in a different way. He saw how I would watch and understand things as they happened. So that is how he taught me.
Randy is an accountant by trade and has had titles like CFO, VP of finance, etc, etc. Big fancy names, yes, but he didn’t get to those levels by simply being good at numbers. He knew how to lead people, wait for it, by example. People just tend to gravitate towards his personality. People genuinely enjoy working for him because he keeps the office relaxed and people trust him. As a manager at my previous company, those were two key ingredients that helped me be successful. Stay calm and facilitate trust. As GKR grows, we are starting to hire and I couldn't be more excited to have people join the team so I can start using these skills again. I thrive on helping people realize their own dreams and hope that I can instill some of the things I learned on my life journey.
Lift up others. Genuinely care. Stay focused. Things I learned from my dad.
