My father celebrated his 90th birthday last week. That milestone was huge for our family, and, of course, I’m amazed and delighted to have had my dad in my life for all these years. He has taught me (and continues to teach me) so much over the years. Today, I’ll share with you a few of the lessons I’ve learned from my dad. But first, let me tell you a little about him.
Henry Corsini grew up in a small town in New Jersey, the second oldest of six children in his Italian-Catholic family. He was a naïve young man when he joined the Merchant Marines during WW II, but he retuned home a man’s man. He graduated from North Dakota State with a degree in architecture, married (Alice, my mother) and moved to Macon, Ga., in 1952.
Henry was broke but ambitious when he started his own firm in 1958. He had zero clients, but he did have a family with two young children. During this time, we lived on Alice’s income as a dental hygienist.
Over the years, Henry designed and oversaw the construction of hundreds of projects including churches, hospitals, public housing, governmental offices, recreational facilities and more than 100 schools. He developed a niche working with housing authorities throughout Georgia and was responsible for more than $350,000,000 in construction of public housing projects throughout the state.
Most people who live to be 90 years old might have a small get-together with family and a few friends at their home or perhaps at a retirement center. Not Henry! More than 140 people came to his birthday party—with a big buffet, an open bar and a band—at the local country club. The party was supposed to end at 9:30 p.m. At 10:15, the band was ready to call it a night, but Henry’s guests were still dancing and no one showed any signs of stopping. This update attitude brings me to some of the business (and life) lessons I learned from my dad.
- 1. Understand the power of hard work. Henry started his firm in 1958, not by taking clients from his previous firm but by going after new business. Even though he only generated $780 in fees his first year, he was determined to do whatever it took to be successful. He simply couldn’t be outworked! He worked six days a week. He came in early, left late and rarely took vacations. His mantra was: “If you want to kill time—try working it to death.” He taught me that if you are willing to do what it takes to be successful, success will follow.
- 2. Don’t let anything prevent you from achieving what you want. Middle Georgia wasn’t exactly a natural market for Henry to grow his architectural practice—seeing that he was from New Jersey, Italian and Catholic and married to someone from South Dakota. But Henry didn’t let so-called negatives keep him from achieving his dreams. He transcended stereotypes and preconceived notions and created his own success.
- 3. Do quality work. The night of his party, one of Henry’s current clients (yes, Henry is still working) spoke about the high quality of my dad’s work. My father has enjoyed a multi-decade relationship with this client because he always focused on producing quality work; he has always been extremely detail-oriented. You put hard work and a quality product together, and you have a winning combination.
- 4. Make no excuses. My father was always100% committed to success. He trusted that he could solve any revenue problems by working more. I never heard him blame his slow times on the economy or the competition. He believed you could work your way out of a slump. I asked Henry to recall the toughest time he ever experienced in the 50-plus years of owning his own firm. He couldn’t think of any. I knew growing up there were definitely slow times, but Henry didn’t focus on them—he focused instead on the buildings he built. He worked through it.
Corsini’s Point:
I asked my dad, “What’s the best thing about turning 90 years old?” He reflected for a moment and then said with a smile, “I guess, having the opportunity to plan for my 100th birthday.” That positive, forward-looking, can-do attitude might just sum up Henry best of all. Happy birthday, Dad! I look forward to your 100th birthday in 10 years!
QUOTE
“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was?”
—Satchel Paige (1906-1982)