Sunday, April 03, 2005
Clever is not enough
One of the things I most enjoyed about my job at the bank was the opportunity to interact with members of the bank's board. It was an esteemed group, including President Gerald Ford, the legendary Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, former Secretary of Energy Robert Mosbacher, and former Secretary of Energy and Coca-Cola President Charles Duncan.
Another board member was Kirbyjon Caldwell, the charismatic minister who has grown Windsor Village Methodist Church into the largest Methodist church in the country. He's an amazing orator, and I had the pleasure of listening to him on a number of occasions. Around the time of the Clinton/Lewinsky drama, he spoke to a group of emerging leaders in the organization. When competent people aspire to the highest echelons of corporate or political life, he said, what constrains them is almost always a matter of character, not of intellect.
I've been considering the wisdom of Kirbyjon's words as I've watched Max's personality unfold. A couple of weeks ago, Lee and I were watching the end of a Duke basketball game. Max and Reed had been playing happily together in the kitchen when Max unexpectedly poked his head into the den and waved. "Hi, guys! Enjoy the game!," he shouted exuberantly. We laughed at his apparent charm.
A couple of minutes later, Max started through the den, trying his level best to conceal something. I asked what was in the bag in his hand. "Chocolate chip cookies." He'd manuevered a bar stool over to the counter to retrieve the cookies from a high shelf, and his greeting was intended to provide him some cover.
A few days later, Max approached Lee for some horseplay:
"Daddy, will you give me a ride on your shoulders?"
"Sure, Max."
"Would you carry me into the kitchen?"
"Okay."
"Would you go through that door (to the utility room)?"
"All right."
"Would you open that door (to the pantry)?"
"Sure."
"Would you move up a little bit?"
"Why, Max?"
"Because I want the M & M's."
Max's ingenuity is considerable, to be sure. But I have a growing sense of urgency that our challenge will be to help him develop a character to match his cleverness.
Another board member was Kirbyjon Caldwell, the charismatic minister who has grown Windsor Village Methodist Church into the largest Methodist church in the country. He's an amazing orator, and I had the pleasure of listening to him on a number of occasions. Around the time of the Clinton/Lewinsky drama, he spoke to a group of emerging leaders in the organization. When competent people aspire to the highest echelons of corporate or political life, he said, what constrains them is almost always a matter of character, not of intellect.
I've been considering the wisdom of Kirbyjon's words as I've watched Max's personality unfold. A couple of weeks ago, Lee and I were watching the end of a Duke basketball game. Max and Reed had been playing happily together in the kitchen when Max unexpectedly poked his head into the den and waved. "Hi, guys! Enjoy the game!," he shouted exuberantly. We laughed at his apparent charm.
A couple of minutes later, Max started through the den, trying his level best to conceal something. I asked what was in the bag in his hand. "Chocolate chip cookies." He'd manuevered a bar stool over to the counter to retrieve the cookies from a high shelf, and his greeting was intended to provide him some cover.
A few days later, Max approached Lee for some horseplay:
"Daddy, will you give me a ride on your shoulders?"
"Sure, Max."
"Would you carry me into the kitchen?"
"Okay."
"Would you go through that door (to the utility room)?"
"All right."
"Would you open that door (to the pantry)?"
"Sure."
"Would you move up a little bit?"
"Why, Max?"
"Because I want the M & M's."
Max's ingenuity is considerable, to be sure. But I have a growing sense of urgency that our challenge will be to help him develop a character to match his cleverness.
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