"I Want to Do My Job So Well That They Cannot Afford to Fire Me."

Looking over our recently received Christmas cards, I was happy to notice one from my friend, Harry Boosey. My mind wandered back  to a time when I was principal of Adamsville High School and Harry was a key figure in the life of our school and community. During those years he was serving as CEO of Aqua Glass Corporation, a very successful nationally-known business, which later became a part of Masco Corporation. Harry was also a city commissioner and  long-time mayor of the City of Adamsville. In 1992 he was recognized as the Tennessee Municipal League's Mayor of the Year Award.

Harry was a great servant leader along with his wife, Marty, who was an excellent teacher at our high school. She, with his encouragement and support, brought high school chorus and musicals, community theater, and many quality opportunities in the arts to our small town. This family was dedicated to making the community a better place for everyone. When the time came to name the new community center, it was called "The Marty" in her honor. Their children also were outstanding young people.  When he retired and they moved to Jackson, Tennessee, for Marty's medical needs, they were sorely missed. Sadly Marty died in 2008.

Needless to say, having Harry Boosey and Aqua Glass to partner with us in promoting quality education in our community for those many years was an incredible blessing.

I learned many lessons about leadership from Harry, but perhaps the most important one is something he told me one day that I will never forget. We were talking about how there is sometimes not much job security in the business world. He said, "I want to do my job so well that they cannot afford to fire me." He lived that motto every day whether at work or in city government. How does that concept play out in our culture today? Has that philosophy become obsolete? Harry believed that the leader of any organization or group has to be the hardest working, most dedicated individual within it. It has been said that the team will only go as far as the commitment and work ethic of the best player on the team. This is how Harry Boosey went about doing his job.

This past weekend before the SEC Football Championship game between Georgia and Alabama, Kirby Smart, Bulldogs head coach, was interviewed about his relationship with Nick Saban. Coach Smart, who spent several years working with Coach Saban as the defensive coordinator at Alabama before going to UGA as head coach, said, "Coach Saban has very high expectations for his organization and holds everyone accountable. But Coach Saban is not going to ask anyone to do something that he is not doing or willing to do himself." He indicated that Coach Saban is the hardest working member of the organization. This is the same philosophy that was embodied in the leadership of Harry Boosey. 

In our current culture this principle seems to be considered less valuable. We are sometimes content to make excuses for our failures rather than developing the perseverance needed to overcome. Harry Boosey made mistakes and had failures but he continued to work through them. I am convinced that when this philosophy is implemented it will energize any organization, team, church, or business. King Solomon knew this when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 9:10, "Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with your might." Imagine what it would be like if everyone at your place of employment bought into this concept. "I want to do my job so well that they cannot afford to fire me" continues to motivate me today as it did back then. 

Remember, I believe everyone is a leader regardless of position.