Lessons from Leonard Tompkins
Yesterday one of my mentors, Leonard Tompkins, died. I got an email from his granddaughter, Mwenza, with the news.
For most of the day I’ve been thinking about Leonard and what I learned from him. Partly as therapy for me and partly as a tribute to Leonard I decided to share some of those lessons.
Dream big. Leonard always had a big dream going and it was one of the things that pulled him forward. That’s because big dreams have an emotional energy that no plan can match. And having a dream gives you a framework that helps you spot opportunities.
Be flexible. You won’t get everything you go after. Neither did Leonard. When that happens, let it go. There are always other opportunities, but you won’t see them if you’re focused on the one you missed.
There will be hard times. Deal with it. Starting a business is hard enough. For Leonard, as an African-American, starting a business after he came back from World War II, it was even harder. Later he fought other battles, including one with the publisher of a local paper. You may not have hard times like that, but you will have your own.
Think about what you can do, not how awful things are or might become. Whatever happened, Leonard concentrated on what he needed to do to make things better.
People matter. Leonard gave people opportunities when no one else would. He helped people who needed it, without making a fuss or making it public. Whatever you do in life, it will be the people who matter most. It will be people who remember you
I am not the only person who will miss him or be thankful to have known him. Mwenzaremembers him as “a tough man with a rough exterior but with a really good heart.” That’s as fine a eulogy as you will ever hear.
