The Greatest Gift
Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D
I was still in high school when my father was fired from the San Francisco Examiner. Dad loved the newspaper business, and he especially enjoyed his job, working with the newsboys who (then) sold papers on street corners. I knew he'd be devastated by the loss.
To add to the problem, he had been employed by the Examiner for 30 years – but not consecutively. (He left school at twelve, and worked to send his younger brothers through Stanford University.) When the newspaper eliminated its entire circulation department, my dad was not only out of work, he was out of any chance to receive a pension.
I will never forget that afternoon. I came home from school to find my father already there. Not only was he home, he was in the kitchen. In fact, my dad was at the sink, bent over, holding his head in his hands.
My heart went out to him, but as I was about to say something consoling, I noticed that the reason he was bent over the sink was that my sister was dying his grey hair brown so that he'd look younger when he went looking for a new job. Dad straightened up, grinned, and said: "Now we're going to have some fun!"
And fun we had indeed, for my father did many fascinating things, including owning the "front yard" of a traveling circus, managing a gold mine, and taking photographs for postcards. In his late sixties, he began his last business – a carnival supply company which he operated successfully until his death (in the middle of a work day) at the age of 80.
My mother worked along side my father in most of his endeavors. After his death, she did what any grieving widow in her seventies would do: She took up country-western dancing. And a couple of years later, Mom married her country-western partner. (At their wedding, they wore their dancing costumes. But that, quite literally, is another story.)
Having the profound luck of being raised by these two incredibly resilient people is something for which my sister and I will always be grateful. They made dealing with the vagaries of life seem like a great adventure.
I don't recall my parents sharing any slogans or advice on managing change, but I do remember exactly what they did, and the attitudes they held.
This is also how the people who live and work with you learn – not by anything you say, but by everything you do, and how you feel about doing it.
In this season of celebration and presents, I’d like to remind you that one of the greatest gifts you have to offer, is to embody the change (whatever that is!) you want to see in the world.
Happy Holidays!
[author]About the Author: Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., is a keynote speaker at business meetings and conferences in 25 countries. Her list of over 300 clients include firms such as Google, LinkedIn, Petroleos de Venezuela, Dairy Farm in Hong Kong, Petrofac in the UAE, SCA Hygiene in Germany, Women’s Leadership Conference, Trinidad. She is a leadership presence coach, the best selling author of twelve books, including “The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help or Hurt How You Lead, and the creator of LinkedInLearning”s video course, “Body Language for Leaders.” Carol has served as adjunct faculty at John F. Kennedy University in the International MBA program and at the University of California in the Executive Education Department. She is a current faculty member for the Institute for Management Studies. Contact Carol by email: Carol@CarolKinseyGoman, through her website: CarolKinseyGoman.com, or call 1-510-526-1727.[/author]
