One of the most moving conversations I ever experienced was a conversation that featured Warren Buffett. This is a man that I have respected on so many levels in life and many things he has spoken of has influenced the way I live my life. There isn’t a lot of business icons that are also good examples of lives well lived.
Warren Buffett: “When you’re nearing your end of life, your only measure of success should be the number of people you want to have love you that actually do love you.”
This comment strikes a chord in my soul. He went on to say, “I know people who have a lot of money, and they get testimonial dinners and they get hospital wings named after them. But the truth is that nobody in the world loves them. If you get to my age in life and nobody thinks well of you, I don’t care how big your bank account is, your life is a disaster.”
This really summarizes how we all should live our lives. I would like to think when you ask people about
Jeremy Fouts, they would say he was a generous man. I may not always do things perfect, but I was raised by wonderful, God fearing parents that taught me the golden rule and I truly try to live by that rule each and every day.
Warren Buffet: “Love is one of the most powerful emotions a human being can feel, and yet, we still live in an individualistic society of keeping up with the Jones’s: We forge ahead with our business ventures and strategically plan our career paths in hopes of finding fame and fortune. We feel we’ve finally arrived at the top when we’re able to vacation twice a year to exotic islands and drop a European luxury car (or two) in the garage. We dream about having all of these things, love be damned. The problem with love is that it’s not for sale. The only way to get love is to be lovable. It’s very irritating if you have a lot of money. You’d like to think you could write a check: I’ll buy a million dollars’ worth of love. But it doesn’t work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get.”
So with that said, I’m sure you can see how
CorVive’s principles line up very closely with some of the values that Warren Buffett held true. Now how do we keep those principles growing within our own way of living?
1) Serve: Be selfless and don’t expect anything in return. The laws of love are reciprocal.
“When we choose to love someone unconditionally by encouraging and believing in them, love comes back in full force through respect, admiration, trust and loyalty.”- Warren Buffett
2) Love: Part of love is empathy. Empathy is one of most common traits of likable (or, as Buffett prefers to say, “lovable”) people. True empathy occurs when you’re able to step into someone else’s shoes and see their perspective. In a study of more than 15,000 leaders across 20 industries, researchers found that the ability to listen and respond with empathy was the most critical attribute of a team’s overall performance.
3) Care: Treat others the way they would want to be treated. As children, we’re often taught this Golden Rule. But the Platinum Rule takes it to a whole new level: “Treat others the way they want to be treated.” When we follow the Platinum Rule, we can be more certain that we’re respecting what they want, instead of projecting our own values and preferences. That doesn’t mean we should ignore the Golden Rule altogether, but we should realize its limitations given that every person and every situation is so different.
Additionally, when the team and I sat down and discussed what would be CorVive’s main moral code, fun, became a main focus point. We didn’t want to be just another company, we wanted people to experience joy just by being part of us. It is beginning to happen in a big way and I couldn’t be more excited. One of the major miles stones that Warren Buffet mentions is making work “enjoyable and fun”. When you enjoy work, you enjoy life, and you tap dance your way to work. I love every day. I mean, I tap dance in here and work with but people I like. There is no job in the world that is more fun than running Berkshire, and I count myself lucky to be where I am.”
I feel the same way, I have specifically hand selected
a team that love being around each other and that Candice and I enjoy. We have taken our time in aligning with leaders who we love to serve and care for. It is a mission for us to find those that have a passion for helping others and helping to cultivate that character quality in any way possible.
The evidence here is clear: In positive and uplifting cultures, where people share the same values, beliefs and norms, you’ll find a high-performing group of people who attract folks of the same kind.
In closing, I hope that you understand that I work hard because I love and care about people, and how I treat people I truly hope represents those values. In the end following your passion will be what ultimately will have the unbreakable bond necessary to keep all your dreams alive and accelerate your drive to achieve them. Many of us take our cushy paychecks and job security for granted, even though we might hate our jobs and would rather be doing something else — something we actually love.
In signing off, Warren Buffet once said—“As humans, doing what we love is a major contributor to true happiness in life. So if you don’t know what your passion is, it’s time to figure that out.”
