Ode to a mentor

On March 10th a dear friend and mentor passed away.  David Moore was the President of Protected Investors of America when I first started working there back in the 90s.  I worked there for 5 years and had the pleasure of working under Dave for much of that time.  He was thoughtful, intuitive and taught me SO much not just about business but about life.  

I thought I would take this opportunity to pass on some of the wisdom I learned from Dave.

• Every business is the relationship business. 

You may think you work in investments, or fabric, or apparel but the reality is ALL businesses are the relationship business.  If people enjoy working with you, and you gain and deserve their trust they will continue to want to work with you.  The item or topic may change but at the core every business is the relationship business.

• The most important job of the head of any company is morale.

If people are happy and enjoy what they are doing, they will be productive and the business will prosper.  Good leadership always keeps the morale of the company as their main objective.

Another thing I learned from Dave was to appreciate good food.  He was a foodie before that word existed in our lexicon.  If you had the pleasure of going out to lunch or dinner with Dave you knew it was going to be an experience you would remember.  

When Dave retired I designed his new "un-business" cards for him.  He retired to sail on his boat the Wu Wei with his son, Richard.  On the back of his cards we had printed the explanation of Wu Wei:

"Wu wei doesn't try.  It doesn't think about it.  It just does.  And when it does, it doesn't appear to do much of anything.  But things get done.  Wu wei is like a sixth sense - being sensitive to circumstances.  One of the most convenient things about this sense is you don't have to make so many difficult decisions.  Instead, you can let them make themselves."

That sums up Dave's philosophy and one I still struggle to emulate.

Even after Dave retired we stayed in touch.  He was always just a phone call away with sound advice and thoughtful questions.  My life was richer with him in it.  His body is gone but his love and wisdom remains. 

When Dave retired he gave me the paperweight I always admired on his desk and a picture that hung in his office.  Both are still here with me and will always be treasured.  To quote the Peace Pilgrim, he has made the "glorious transition to a freer life."   
Smooth sailing, Captain!