How did great leaders get their starts?
There isn’t one path to success, and I love hearing about the unconventional beginnings of successful leaders.
Arthur Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot, learned one of his biggest leadership lessons at gunpoint.
When he was 10 years old, three armed men knocked on the door and demanded cash. As the men searched the apartment, Arthur’s mother lectured them that what they were doing wasn’t right and wouldn’t put them on a good life path. Even with the men holding guns, Arthur’s mother stayed firm in her convictions. The family escaped unharmed, but his mother’s example stuck with Arthur.
Leaders must hold on to their principles and not be afraid to speak up. Decades later, Arthur still lives by his mother’s saying, “Do the right thing for the right reasons and live with the consequences.” It’s a powerful lesson she taught by sticking to her principles in the face of grave danger. Arthur brought that lesson as he built The Home Depot into a global giant.
Another great leader with an unconventional start is Chris McCann, CEO of 1-800-Flowers.
As a young adult, Chris was set on becoming a lawyer. But the summer before starting law school, his older brother Jim encouraged him to join his new flower shop venture.
Chris didn’t have any experience in the floral industry, so he had to learn by watching and experimenting. When the telephone company came to set up phones in one of their first stores, Chris and Jim watched how to install lines and asked questions. They did the same thing when the techs set up the store’s first computers so they could understand every aspect of the business.
Chris and Jim followed a mantra Jim developed as a social worker for at-risk boys: “Build a relationship first, do business second.” Chris credits the people he met around New York and his business mentors as much more influential to his leadership development than anything he ever learned in school.
There’s no one path to becoming a great leader. Each path is filled with challenges, obstacles, and lessons. But great leaders can be made with determination and a willingness to learn.
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