I like Home Depot. I just bought my new stove there. I thought Home Depot was all about building supplies but I heard today something that changed my mind. I sat for a long time in a hot gym with thousands of other parents, grandparents, friends and I guess others who had nothing to do on a hot day in Denver…the reason to be there when Baihley graduated from Grad school. The bagpipers, the music, the grand processional, the robes, the cheers and the pageantry with so much tradition all for a few hours on a Friday afternoon to celebrate accomplishments. We need to do that more; celebrate accomplishments.
The keynote speaker was a gal from…no less than Home Depot. What she said was great for more than just graduates. And of course I had a pen and pad to write it down. One of the first things she said to-us was that “everyone needs to feel relevant and have a stage to hear applause. ” That is so true especially as we grow older and kind of feel like we aren’t needed anymore. We all need to feel needed, feel care for and feel that there is something the world has need of that we can offer. Then she brought up what life is all about. ” Your life is not about you. It’s about everyone else.” She went on to say she climbed the ladder of success and was the self described deal queen and the symbol of success was accumulating deal toys. Trophies, awards, and stuff you get given when you make a winning deal, create a winning world and create business success. She woke up one day and wondered what would her tombstone say and realized it would be about stuff not people..She decided she wanted her tombstone to say, ” she made a difference in my life” and began to make changes to people would say that. She challenged the graduates to declare their purpose in life and then change their life to reflect that purpose. It’s all about serving others in life and legacy and leadership. She had some cool quotes from women she admired. ” do what you love and do it so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” And her mother’s advice, “it isn’t working when you see it working.” And then she added, the most important decision of your life is who you decide to spend your life with. Spend it with someone who loves you.
How would my life had been lived differently had I heard that advice when I was graduating? Probably not a lot but definitely having a purpose in life and helping others reach their highest potential I would have grasped differently. She mentioned having a purpose in life and changing her life,, changed her approach to family, work, friends and God. She challenged the graduate students to make that change earlier in their career than she did.
I left Denver University with tons of pictures of graduation. I also left thinking much higher of the people running Home Depot. A company whose leaders feel people are more important than things and deals, and leading people with integrity is by example. Oh yes, I am sure there are people in the high office that may not reflect the values that she shared with us, but for today, we are thankful for a leaders vision and her ability to challenge and encourage not just graduates but all of us sitting and listening in a hot gym in Denver.
Special Touch Ministry 