This Month’s Philosopher: John Winkelman, WG'80
To learn more about John, click here.
LIFE LESSONS
If I knew then what I know now, I would have...
- devoted more time keeping in touch with mentors, former colleagues, and former bosses who were instrumental in my development into a successful businessperson, as it is impossible to do after they have gone.
- listened more closely to my staff in my early years of management. It certainly paid off in my later years.
If I knew then what I know now, I would NOT have...
waited so long to get into consulting. I can say a lot here about what it meant to work with consultants in my early years out of the Program, but it wasn’t pleasant. When I was essentially forced into becoming a consultant, I discovered my penchant for change fit extremely well with the expectations for being a consultant. Every few months there was a new client, with a new problem that needed to be solved.
FAVORITE QUOTES
- “Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself.”
~ The original Golden Rule: Confucius ~500BC - “And so, my fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you — Ask what you can do for your country.”
~ JFK 1961 Inaugural Address - “It is through weakness and vulnerability that most of us learn empathy and compassion and discover our soul.”
~ Archbishop Desmond Tutu
RECOMMENDED READING
- Begin Again by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.
- Talking to Strangers by Malcom Gladwell
- Remedy and Reaction by Paul Starr
- The SOUL of AMERICA by Jon Meacham
- Undelivered: Notable Speeches Never Given by Jeff Nussbaum
Contact John at: [email protected]