In Memoriam: Leonard Tompkins
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There are times when all you can do is sit and look at the screen and remember. This morning was one of those.
One of the first emails I opened told me that Leonard Tompkins, my mentor and my friend has died. The last time I saw Leonard he ruined one of my suits.
I had left his company years before, but when I was in the area of Kent, Ohio, I would call and if Leonard was there, I'd stop by for a visit. I wish I'd done that more often and worked harder to stay in touch.
On that day, I was coming from a speech, wearing a suit. I parked outside and wound through the warren of hallways to Leonard's office overlooking the yard filled with machinery and trucks.
He was wearing coveralls. When I came up the short stairs into his office he rose out of his chair with his incredible smile on his face and gave me a huge hug.
Before the hug, his coveralls were plastered with grease. After the hug the grease was evenly distributed between his coveralls and my suit. I ultimately threw the suit away.
I thought about that incident and so many others while I walked the dog this morning. I've been blessed to know a lot of exceptional people in my life. Leonard was one of the most exceptional. Here are two examples of why.
In her email, Leonard's granddaughter, Mwenza, described him as "a tough man with a rough exterior but with a really good heart." He was a tough man in a tough, dirty and dangerous business. But he was always helping people in large and small ways.
There was a man who had driven for Leonard a few years before. Leonard found out that the man had cancer and was dying. So Leonard arranged to have him transported across the country, back to his home state, so he could die there, near family.
It was hugely expensive. That didn't matter. The man was a friend. He needed help.
Then there was the cold February night that we spent in a boxcar on a siding. Leonard was moving some machinery for a Mexican company. There was a dispute about the contract.
Leonard thought the company would try to move the machinery off his siding during the night. So we sat in the cold boxcar with brandy and shotguns all night, just in case.
Leonard had come a long way. He'd started a company and grown it. He'd made some investments. He was successful by most people's measure.
That's not easy for anyone. For a Black man in those times and that place, it was even harder.
But that's not what he talked about. He talked about the future. He talked about opportunities. He talked about what he wanted to do next.
Leonard had a strategy. But he never had a strategic plan. The strategy was clear enough that he could spot an opportunity when it popped up. It was flexible enough to change when it needed to.
He spent his time and energy on making the strategy work. He didn't waste time coming up with grand new schemes. Instead he worked hard and kept scanning for opportunity.
No matter what he did, people were important. Mostly he gave them opportunities. And if you were his friend, you could always count on his smile when you came into the room and his unique laugh and a bear hug. Now I wish I'd kept the suit.
Boss's Bottom Line
Here are some lessons I learned from Leonard.
Strategy should be simple and something your work at implementing.
There will be difficulties. Deal with them.
No matter how rough your exterior, work to maintain a really good heart.
Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.
A beautiful tribute Wally. Thank you for sharing about him and for sharing his wisdom with us. Very sorry for your loss.
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Thanks so much for the kind words and your sympathy, Susan.
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we need to hear more of these stories, Wally. This is the heart of leadership. Thanks for sharing. Bret
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Thanks so much for the kind words and your sympathy, Susan.
Thanks for those kind words, Bret. I think you're right. I suspect that stories about people like Leonard are important because they don't make the cover of some magazine.
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Often, the biggest heroes are the men and women who, everyday, make good things happen. Mr. Leonard sounds like a hero, 1st Class.
I am sorry for your loss, and envious of your memories. I hope you'll share them. -Kirk
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Thanks, Kirk. One lesson of my life is that there are amazing people who do not get a lot of recognition.
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Thank you so much. He was an original! I find I remember his words of wisdom more and more as I age. Simple lessons...Don't give up! Work hard! Look for openings for growth. He was my father.
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Thank you so much for adding that, Carolyn. "Original" is probably the best word to describe your father. I'm so sorry for your loss. You and your family are in our prayers.
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Wally, great story, and I think it reminds us that many of us can be grateful because we too worked for a "Leonard." An individual that had immense charisma, and an immense heart. I remember a time I worked for Carl. He had a truck driver on the road about 800 miles from home and due to a snowstorm, the driver wasn't going to be able to make it home for Christmas. Carl figured out a way to get him on a plane and home safely for Christmas.
We should never forget the Leonards and Carls of this world. Their contributions put many leaders to shame.
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Thanks for sharing that Rodney. It's a reminder that there are many people out there, like Leonard, doing good things that affect people's lives, but who don't get the recognition that some of their more toxic brothers and sisters seem to get.
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Wally, this writing was you at your best, clearly inspired by someone that meant a great deal to you. My heartfelt condolences on the loss of a friend and my sincere thanks for sharing Leonard's story. -art
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Thanks for the kind words and sympathy, Art. It seems like Leonard's helping me do better in still another way.
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I am coming to this post late Wally and I was so touched by what you wrote. Your loss will be keenly felt for a long time and your post has allowed us in to both learn about Leonard and offer our support in that loss.
At the same time you have reminded us how important it is to value those who impact on our lives and articulate what that means.
Thank you for sharing
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Thank you for putting that so well, Jackie.
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July 10th, 2011
A belated tribute to Leonard Tompkins, a good friend and a great leader:
Last night I had a dream about being back in Kent, working at T T Machinery movers for Leonard Tompkins. Nothing special, just working for him like I did in the early 70s. When I awoke, I Googled Leonard and discovered he had died. I wish I had known this before now.
I am the CEO of the western division of a fairly large corporation now, but back then I was a skinny, know nothing, white kid repairing heavy equipment for Leonard. Why Moose or Gerald or any number of other big burley riggers didn't just beat me to a pulp I will never know, but I suspect now it was because I was under Leonard's wing.
I would not be where I am today if it were not for Mr. Leonard Tompkins. Not only did he allow me to work nights and weekends so I could graduate from Kent State, but he taught me most of what I needed to know about life.
He taught me the importance of hard work. He taught humor through injustace as he told me of stories of hiring a white guy to walk in front of him with a briefcase for important business meetings....the stupidity of this never ceased to amuse him. He taught me how to be both kind and tough at the same time. He taught me how to lead by leading. He taught me that problems were simply issues to be solved, not constraints to ones strategy. Most importantly, Leonard taught me how to really laugh.
I remember Gerald driving the Manitowoc crane right through the wall of the garage, or Chief installing a very expensive starting engine on the D6 but forgetting to add the oil, or Leonard cutting through a gas line with the HD21 dozer and not being able to shut the big machine down. On the last one, Leonard had to put his belly over the air intake to shut it down....something that gave him a six inch hicky for several weeks.
These were all expensive mistakes made by me and others that would drive some leaders crazy, but Leonard would just laugh and laugh at the humor of life in the real world.
Though he never said so, over the years I believe that Leonard came to love this skinny, know nothing, white kid and he was proud of my later accomplishments; he should be proud, because most of my accomplishments came from the values I learned from him.....about life, about love and about being a man.
Leonard and his son Gary came to stay with me in Charlotte some years ago because he wanted to go to the NASCAR races. I am not sure I told him then how much of a difference he made in my life, but if I did not....then shame on me.
Leonard Tompins mattered in my life and in the lives of many others. This is the only real indication of a life well lived.
So Leonard has gone on ahead of the rest of us to his next big project. Though I have not seen him in years, I miss him terribly. Yet in the quiet of this Sunday morning, I am not certain, but I think I can hear his laughter even still.
john young
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Thanks, John. Your comments brought back some memories for me and gave an opportunity to reflect again on how much Leonard gave to me and others.
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