Two years have passed since I entered the following passage in my daily journal on November 17, 2020. This was one of my published firsts in my book A Leap Year of Firsts. In reflecting back, I thought it still held up, especially in the challenging times we are living in, So I wanted to share….
… “I was on a Zoom call live with Warren Buffett this afternoon. I received this very cool first as an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program. I loved his down-home, human approach to life and business. His little truisms were the best. In learning to overcome his extreme fear of communicating his ideas in front of people, he took the Dale Carnegie course. I had done the same early in my career for the same reason. He then imparted his wisdom, “If you do not learn to communicate with people it’s like winking at a girl in the dark — it will not matter, she won’t see you.” Another beautiful thing was his talking about being a little conservative with your money. He advocated having a little reserve (cash) for a rainy day. He relayed, “Only when the tide goes out is when you see who has been swimming naked.” With a sly wit, he shared that the government had supplied a lot of bathing suits (PPP loans) in the last year.
When asked, “How do you find good people for your organization?” Mr. Buffet replied, “I never have looked at a resume. I like to talk to people.“ Another pearl of wisdom was about learning and reading. He shared, “You can get to know Ben Franklin, or anyone else by picking up a book and reading about them.” He proclaimed that “Knowledge is something no one can take away from you or tax — it is yours.” He also commented, “The earlier the better,” as far as reading to gain knowledge.
He started the talk by saying that our country is a “country of tailwinds, but we are currently facing a headwind like no other – a hurricane.” He added that he wished he was born now and, in this country, because the tailwind that will follow will be great, eventually over time. He told about the first stock he purchased in March of 1942 during World War II, when there was a headwind. He bought it when the Dow hit $100 and now it is at $30,000. The same will happen in the future, over time, was his point. His position was that there is opportunity in the chaos!”
A PRICELESS FIRST – I had to share. These were the moments that picked me up off the mat and got me back in the ring to fight! Have you ever had the opportunity to meet one of your personal heroes? Were they everything you hoped they would be? Mr. Buffett didn’t disappoint. After I published my book I sent a signed copy of it to him to thank him for this first. He wrote back.to me saying “… I’m glad I got a passing grade with you.” PRICELESS!!!