by Jason Richmond, CEO and Chief Culture Officer at Ideal Outcomes, Inc.
When I was asked recently to name the business leader I’d most love to have lunch with, I immediately thought of—and wrote about—the charismatic, visionary entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. But if someone framed the question as “Who is THE person you’d most like to have lunch with?” the hands down winner is my late grandfather, Elmer Krogman.
I’d give almost anything for the opportunity to have one more lunch with this salt-of-the-earth, plain talking, hardworking Iowa farmer. My mom’s dad lived until he was 94, and worked most of his life on his hundred-acre farm in the heartland of the state, where he raised five kids and grew the typical Iowa crops of corn, soybeans, and alfalfa.
He and I were very close and, as we lived nearby, I went to see him all the time. He’s been gone a while now, but there’s never a time when I don’t think back to what he taught me, the commonsense wisdom he dispensed, and the values he instilled in me that have kept me grounded.
Apart from my parents, he was my first role model. He was the type of guy you could go to for any kind of advice. There wasn’t anything you couldn’t ask him. But he wouldn’t give you the answer, the solution. He’d lay out the pros and cons and have you think it through. He didn’t make it easy, but he gave you the confidence and some direction to figure it out for yourself.
Every time I left his house he’d either say “Don’t take no wooden nickels” or “Don’t get stuck in the mud.” What he meant with the first saying was be wary of being taken for a ride. Don’t accept anything at face value. If something’s too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you.
The sage advice in his second saying was don’t get bogged down in the minutiae, don’t get into a rut, and avoid unnecessary drama. Focus on what actually matters—family, a strong work ethic, and leaving a legacy.
More than anything else, though, what he instilled in me from when I was a little kid until the day he passed away was his work ethic. Until late in life he worked every day. He always behaved in ways that benefited other people: his family, friends, and the community. His dedication and commitment was constant—and he was never judgmental. It definitely rubbed off on me.
If I did get the chance to have lunch with him again, the first and most important thing I’d say to him would be, “Thank you. Thank you for ingraining in me the values that you did.” And I’d ask him if he was deliberate and purposeful in teaching me those life lessons—or if it was just a result of who he was. Either way I’m grateful. I listened hard and absorbed everything he said. It was obviously meaningful to me because I’ve always, to this day, shared his advice and outlook on life.