Gary Meneghin, a former client of mine, is now retired and restores classic bicycles in his spare time. His restored bicycles are sought out by Hollywood producers and other like-minded people who appreciate the work of a true artisan. In other words, they recognize excellence when they see it. ‘Passionate guy’ is one way to describe Gary. And he calls ‘em like he sees ‘em….even when it hurts. After reading The Power of Professionalism he had a revelation about his father who had passed away years earlier.
“My father ran a very successful small business for 45 years. He was a great provider but I can’t say that I was terribly proud of him. In fact, there were times as a kid that I felt inferior to my friends and classmates—me having a father with an undistinguished blue-collar trade. You see, my father only had a 4th grade education and spoke with a distinct accent—a by-product of his immigration from Italy. He was a smart guy and all but…”
“I’ve come to realize that I had bought into the premise that being a professional was about the number of advanced degrees after your name on your business card. By reexamining my mind set, The Power of Professionalism helped me realize that an accounting clerk can be a professional and a PhD chemist may not. After applying the criteria in this book to my own father, I came to the realization that he truly was the consummate professional. In fact, in many ways my father was more of a professional than I am—even when considering my graduate degree. It’s painful when I think about my misguided notions of him.”
Gary gained a new-found appreciation of his father. As importantly, Gary has developed even greater respect for those people that traditionally wouldn’t be considered ‘professional’—just like Gymbeaux did in our last post.
Change your view, change your life.
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