Last year in November I was invited to Berlin, Germany, to speak to the Berlin chapter of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO). The night before the event the board members of the chapter invited me out to dinner. We went to a Thai restaurant somewhere in Berlin and had a lovely meal. Though I must say the waitress that served us was probably the rudest and worst waitress I have ever come across in my life. I have never seen a waitress throw a plate across the table so that the customer out of her reach can get it. German efficiency? I suppose. That said she was not German by DNA.
Anyways, the service was shocking; the food, company and conversations with the board members were great. One conversation in particular, that took place later in the night, stood out to me. Though he was sitting to the right of me all evening we didn’t get into a deep conversation until towards the end of dinner. He was humble, charming and had a kindness about him that was very apparent. In our conversation about human qualities that we love I learnt 3 business lessons from him. Simple but profound. I love each one of them and I’ll be working hard to apply them in my life. After all what is the point of a lesson if it is not applied in your life.
3 business lessons I learnt from Manny Hertweck
1. Be honorable. You must be able to stand in front of the mirror the following morning and look yourself in the eye. Simply said, don’t screw people over.
2. Give it away. Don’t scramble and fight for the last cent. Share so that everyone involved feels good about the deal.
3. Don’t burn bridges. You always meet people twice. Don’t burn bridges with the people you come across in business. Gracefully let misunderstandings and hurts go.
Thanks Manny!
