There was once a brilliant man who had a remarkable worked ethic. Since his youth whatever he did was with excellence, so it was no surprise that the company he began grew in number and fortune. This man had a wife and 3 sons. His sons enjoyed growing up in the “family business” but each had a distinct personality. The man was mightly proud of each one of them and encouraged their independence. The company knew nothing but success, however, at the age of 45, this man made a risky move and partnered with another successful person. The partnership began as a good thing but in two years they realized that they were different. The man worked hard and his standard of excellence was set up very high. The other successful man rode off the successes of others and barely had an original thought, less a good working ethic. After 8 years of partnership and having lost alot of the company’s fortune, both men decided it was time to part ways.
The man, the father, had failed.
He had made a risk and bold moved that made him lose half of his fortune. His sons, all grown up and in college, knew that their father didnt have the energy nor the time to start from zero. So they came back home. One by one began to work along side their father. Through trial and error, they began to polish each other’s character. Through perseverance and lessons from the past, they stirred the company into a new era. Thankfully, the foundation that was laid was a good one, so it was only a matter of time when they began to see the fruit of their hard work. The sons, as independent as they were, understood the culture of the company and with their father’s guidance each became successful. The father had failed in business but succeeded in what mattered the most; passing the baton of greatness, hard work, integrity and honesty to his 3 sons.
What would had happened if the father had never taken a risk? Maybe he would have never known failure and he would have died a successful business man. But also, he wouldnt have been able to teach his sons through his example and guidance the true character of a successful person.
