THE STAFF

There are few things in my career that mean as much as the staff. I have won medals and honors as a Marine, sold the million dollar sale and achieved my goals as a Marine and Businessman. None of this compares to receiving the staff. I have always enjoyed working hard and setting high expectations of my people but I have also enjoyed helping to encourage and give direction in their personal lives. Of course I do this professionally but it is always a desire for my staff to set goals such as being debt free or simply keeping a paid off car a few years longer than they want. In every case I have been rewarded by watching each of them grow in their careers and in their personal life. I enjoy getting pictures of their kids and family.

Even with all that I have to hang on my wall the staff that stands in the corner means more to me than all the others. I had a sales representative quite a few years ago that was about 15 years older than me. His name was Tom Mosley. Tom was a great guy that was well grounded in his beliefs and really enjoyed working with law enforcement agencies. Many of them would call and ask for Tom just to let him know they had another grand child or that they had been promoted to a new position. Tom was also an author he wrote a book called "Marketing your invention".

One morning Tom did not show up to work and that was not like him at all. Usually he would call me at 0700 in the morning while he was in route to the office because he knew I was already there. He would usually just say "Hey, good morning boss, its a great day". I would agree and chit chat for a few minutes and then back to work. When Tom did not show up I told the Director of Engineering that something was wrong. We hopped in the car and drove to Tom's home. When we got there and Tom's car was in the drive way I knew something was wrong. I knocked on the doors and with no answer I called the police. The fire department broke in the back door and of course they found Tom had passed away while sleeping. I was so saddened by the loss. Tom was way to young at 52. He lived alone and had several kids that were on their own.

The funeral was nice and lots of Tom's friends came. Police agencies from around the country sent flowers to the funeral and or donated money to the family scholarship fund. After the funeral one of Tom's daughters walked up to me with a staff in her hand. Tom loved the outdoors and when he would go hiking he always carried a staff. He would find other 6' sticks that he would eventually hand carve and shellac to become a gorgeous walking staff. She handed me one of those staffs and said Tom would have wanted you to have it. Every time I see that staff it reminds me that there is more to life than simply meeting the bottom line. We can't let things to get in the way of helping others and motivating them to be better. I loved Tom and his family. What staff do you have in your life? What are you achieving in life that makes it worth while? Treat others with respect and know that each of them have a staff of some sort in their lives. Each of them are loved by others.