Tucson By Choice!

Creating Value: "How did you know my brother?"

"How did you know my brother Jonathan?"  I've never used the past tense before with this question.

Standing at the head of the casket, I greeted my brother's friends and colleagues as one by one, they paid their last respects.

That's Jonathan on the left, 40 years ago, listening to an Indian patiently explaining something to a three year old.  Jonathan had interrupted a conversation--notice the other man's hands, patiently folded while he waits for his friend to answer the child's question.

Jonathan's success in sales had a lot to do with the way he was raised.  More on that in a minute.

Many of the answers to my question came from people who had worked with Jonathan.  People just like you, whose livelihood depends on success as sales agents.

To my astonishment, more than a third of the crowd this evening at the wake were current or former business colleagues from the Office Depot.  Dozens said things like this: "I was his boss eight years ago.  I hired him because of his attitude.  He never disappointed me.  Even when he was frustrated, he never had a bad thing to say about the company."

"I worked for him.  I never had a better boss, because he was so helpful, even when I messed up. He knew how to listen to me."

"He was a colleague who won our president's award two years in a row.  I beat him out the next year, and he went around the office getting people to sign a card congratulating me on winning the award! Who does things like that?" 

"I am--I was--his admin since he was promoted to District Sales Manager.  I worked for him, but he was usually helping me!"

"We golfed together.  On the course, he talked to me about being a father, and I'm a better father today because of Jonathan.  In the evening after a convention sales meeting, we would all kick back with a beer and a cigar.  Your brother would excuse himself, find a quiet corner and read a bedtime story to his son on the cellphone.  Pretty soon he'd be back to claim his cigar, and he'd tell us how lucky he was to be a husband and a Dad."

Jonathan learned early how to ask questions, to listen, and to contribute. He gave more than he got.  It's the way our parents raised us.  It was the culture of the Indians we lived with as children in the rainforest of South America--people who stopped what they were doing to answer the question of a child.  My little brother became very good at his craft because he was a man of action.  His constant question was "How can I help?"

It's my hope that he helped you today.  Writing this blog helped me.  I'll miss him.

Mike Jones (Tucson Mortgage Company, LLC): Loan Officer in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

Articles by Mike Jones

42 comments • Mike Jones • August 31 2007 01:19AM