Leadership and My Father’s Wisdom

Today is the 85th birthday of the greatest leader I have ever known.

I am not alone in my opinion. From leaders of the Federal Reserve Board to leaders of the State of Montana, many people who know him will tell you that Bill Mathers is a fine man.

A colleague and I were commenting one day that those who are deemed great often prove to be the greatest disappointments. My friend said he wondered what qualities it took to be a truly great leader and wished he knew one to ask. I immediately responded, “I’ll ask my Dad!”

So, that afternoon, I phoned home and told Dad that my friend Sonny and I were wondering what made a great leader great.

He immediately said something self effacing about how he didn’t know that he was the person to ask.

When I pressed him, he responded that the “folks at the Fed” (The Ninth District Federal Reserve Board in Minneapolis, on which my father served in the 1980s) did say he had a trait they wished more people had.

“The chairman said, ‘Bill, you know, everyone else reports on their districts and all we hear is how dire everything looks. Your reports are always full of good news and possibilities.’”

Dad said, “I told him, ‘well, anybody can look at something and tell you what’s wrong with it.’”

So, if he had a secret to leading—from being a successful rancher, a State Senate President held in the highest regard by members on both sides of the aisle and Board of Regents Chairman who still has friends in higher education—it was this: Focus on what can be done.

He said that there was always something in a situation you could work with. So he always chose to focus on those elements and not to be distracted by the naysayers.

I remember when I was seven and my Dad and Uncle lost hundreds of calves when a spring flood swept over parts of the farm we owned by the Yellowstone river. That night, my Dad was the most upset I had ever seen him. It scared me to death. My mother couldn’t even console him. And then, the next morning, he was my smiling Dad again wondering how I was. I am sure there was much on his mind, but all I knew was that life was good.

Any one can tell you what’s wrong.

How do you lead? Do you find the potential and harvest it? Do you seek to know others’ stories?

You know, my Dad can tell you all kinds of stories about great characters he has known, from his friends and classmates, to some rather unique men he’s worked with on the ranch. He is the most engaging, wonderful person. I remember when he had a high school girl start mowing his lawn a few years ago, and he called me just to tell me her mother had gone to high school with me. Do you know how many people I come in contact with on a regular basis whose stories I do not know?

So…in honor of my Dad’s birthday, let’s slow down and listen to the stories of those around us. Let’s look for the good in even the darkest situations, and then lead from there. And let’s give great big hugs…and when you do, make a little sound like “mm-mm.” It’s hard to explain, but it’s the sound my Dad makes when he gives hugs. I guess it’s the sound of love.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

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1. Wisdom we can gain from our parents to weather life's setbacks. says:

   July 10, 2011 at 8:20 pm

   [...] wisdom into everything I wrote thereafter. Or, followed my husband's advice and written a book on leadership with my Dad. I should. But today, I just want to share this from my Dad, Bill Mathers, who at 87 [...]