Business Lessons from a 'Priest of a Man' - Tim Russert

Don’t tell my husband of some 24 years, but Tim Russert was the ‘other man’ I invited into my home every Sunday morning, and frequently during the week. With those tossled brown Irish locks, spit-fire eyes sparkling with intention and a smile that warmed my heart, he always ‘had me at hello’. Intellectual bulldog, soulful leprechaun, political priest, Tim Russert was without question a ‘priest of a man’ in every sense of the word. And in remembrances this week, I observed that he modeled those values at the core of successful business.

Sure, he had his foibles, but that is part of what made Tim and his energy contagious. He didn’t wear the Armani suits,, and paid less attention to protecting an ‘Armani image’. And even though he invested his life in politics and then in the news that reported the political arena, his life has been an encouragement for me in how I live mine as a business entrepreneur.

Business Lessons Modeled:

1.Show up ~ showing up in this moment, with whatever is in front of me, bringing the best of who I am in this moment.

Tim Russert showed up…daily. Showed up with a discipline to his own core values of faith, integrity and authenticity. Showed up in a marriage and with a family, protecting, supporting and nurturing to the best of his ability. Showed up in varied vocations with the best of himself, his passion, his ideas. Showed up with co-workers and extended family with his dignity, his huge heart of compassion and his word of honor.

Those who come through our strawbale tuscan villa often ask, “ How on earth did you make this happen?”, the question digging for some ‘magic’ moment, or dipping into vats of ‘old money’. Our answer is always the same, as it is in reference to building successful businesses. No mystery, simply a lifetime of practicing. Practicing just showing up fully in each moment. Showing up with the ‘vision’ as if it was already a reality, one moment at a time. We delight in sharing all the stories, where we started over, after losing it all, creating this very special homestead where many come to just feel the energy of connection.

2. Integrity and Authenticity. While there could be an entire article on these alone, I’ll give it a simple definition here for brevity’s sake: Being true to one’s own individual core values, saying what you mean and meaning what you say.

Tim Russert not only had a reputation of living in alignment with his core values on a daily basis, with himself, with his family, his fellow workers, but perhaps one of his most lasting marks on our political arena is the infamous “Meet The Press” where he asked for, nay, demanded an accountability, integrity and authenticity from each of his guests. And while he always did it with the mark of a gentleman and respect, ask it of them with a fire-hot intensity nevertheless he did.

Often this past week, it has been said that his main passion was “getting to the truth’ of the matter. Even if a guest had changed their mind, or learned from their mistakes, the greatest compliment he paid them was when they were able to acknowledge that yes, they had in fact, changed their mind, had learned from past mistakes. For Tim, ‘getting to the truth’ had occurred in that moment, admirably. Perhaps ‘priest of a man’ can also be seen through the eyes of this activity; that he seemed to serve as a priest in the political arena, asking for the finest and best, and serving as a confessor of sorts for those fudging on accountability with the statement written on the chalkboard.

Integrity and authenticity, for me, is at the core of valued business dealings. Everything we do has some sort of ‘energy’ to it. Just as deceipt and shadow games possess their own intrinsic energy, so do the cornerstones of integrity and authenticity. And in your business dealings, the energy of your commitment to integrity and authenticity, over time, will result in its own natural by-product.

This does not mean that if you honor integrity and authenticity, you won’t experience loss. It surely does not mean that you will find yourself as the most popular. In fact, some of our greatest business losses in the past have been because we dared to take a stand for integrity and authenticity. In the long run, the energy that you carry with you in all your business dealings through a commitment to integrity and authenticity will serve you well.

Over this past week, the mantra of reporters and politicians alike has been that while Tim was indeed brilliant in his vocation, his true greatness was the energy of his “soul”..(their words, not mine), and the integrity, accountability and authenticity he lived in every area of his life.

In your business, this week, there will be opportunities to make another buck, or to get another client, and there will be choices, choices to do the ‘right thing’ (you’ll know) or to cut corners. Practice taking the high road. I guarantee you that in the long run, it will serve you well.

3. Heart of Compassion: Showing up with the body of emotions, allowing oneself to slow down enough to feel the hurts, joys, aches, loves and passions of yourself, and others.

Tim Russert was known not only as the brilliant thinker, but also as the one with a huge heart. Many have spoken this week of the breadth and depth of his compassion, his caring for his immediate family, his interns and those whom he mentored, and the respect he gave to each of his guests. Regardless of the hours worked, Tim found the time to connect. He was never too busy making his mark to support the vision of another, never too preoccupied with his own business plans to enjoy those of a colleague, and never so self-absorbed with his own vocational plans that he could not genuinely support and mentor those of a newcomer.

One of the joys of being in Biznik is that every week, I am meeting business entrepreneurs that are cut from this same fabric. The sharing of your business visions, of your personal journeys of achievement and of loss, and of your support and encouragement has been a great energy that moves out into the market place. I have heard, and felt, this same energy of service, integrity, and authenticity from the founders of Biznik, and it is anchored in the core values of their vision. It is this energy that will grow Biznik worldwide with core structures that will serve many well.

Business for me, and for Jack Fecker, my husband, has always been one more way to connect, to support, and an opportunity to practice integrity and a spirit of service to each one I meet. I’m still practicing. Jack has been a model of this for the whole of his life. (He has no idea I am writing about him…he’ll find out soon enough.)

Jack has modeled all of the above for many years now in the business realm. His deep commitment to core values of integrity, authenticity, and accountability have not only earned him an esteemed reputation in the hearts and minds of many business owners and professionals, but have also cost him, in the short run, when he chose to follow those core values over more money or ‘getting ahead’. In addition, his ability to show up daily with his unconditional acceptance and genuine compassion for another’s business and personal journey has made him the revered mentor of some of the most successful business owners in the land. He continues to be a model for me in creating, operating and developing successful businesses with all the attributes of a Tim Russert….and then some.

Showing up/Integrity/Authenticity/Accountability…Heart of Compassion ~ These are some of the great attributes/lessons one can practice in creating, operating and developing business. This week, I take a moment to honor the life of Tim Russert, who very publicly lived these attributes. While he worked for others, tirelessly, he brought to every adventure, all the signature characteristics of a great business entrepreneur: Whatever the vocation, he made it his own creation; he poured all of his heart and passion into bringing the best of himself to the table; he tended impeccably the fires of his own individual integrity and core values of his faith, nurturing and loving his family, his community, and his nation; and he showed up daily with a heart of compassion for those around him.

Take a moment this week and explore how to more fully integrate some of these life lessons into your own business growth. It will be one more celebration of the life of Tim Russert ~ a ‘Priest of a Man’.