A Visit With Larry Brandon
I got a note from Christine Brandon reminding me of the cover shot used by her dad, Larry Brandon, on his book…Pathway to Progress. By pure coincidence, it was of a similar stretch of the Bamboo Forest in Kyoto, Japan that I had recently posted as a photo on my Facebook page. I had forgotten his cover photo…but I am not surprised by the coincidence.
Larry passed away in 2017, after a long and fruitful life. Along the way, he was the father of seven kids, grand father of 22 grand kids and was blessed with several great grand kids. His wife, Dutchie, is one of the greatest human beings to ever walk this earth…kind, fun, well traveled and a great mom/wife. His kids all grew up to be a success in their individual ways…one a world famous insurance and finance executive, another a CEO of a significant insurance company, another an author/educator, three more having great careers in the insurance industry and yet another educator. Each one someone that Larry and Dutchie are proud of…and love dearly.
Larry was ten years older than me. He was a friend, mentor, coach and inspiration to me. He and I shared many similar interests…family, God, running, travel, an organization we both belonged to known as the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters (CPCU), laughter and education. Oh…and writing, speaking and friends. Larry and I have run through more big cities together, well before dawn, than I can name….talking to one another the whole way. I sure miss those runs and my friend.
So, when Christine wrote me that note, I pulled out my copies of Larrys two books…Let The Trumpet Resound and Pathway to Progress, and re-read them both. Let the Trumpet Resound is written as a futurist look to what society and the insurance industry might look like in the decades ahead (written in 1996…so what it might look like about right now)…and, as such, is not so much “his voice” as it is facts, data and information. Quite accurate, I might add.
Pathways to Progress is his voice. It is a book about what he has learned in his life and his beliefs. I loved re-reading it, as it was like spending time with him. Thanks, Christine, for the reminder.
I tried to base my leadership, during my working years, on Larrys idea of a leader…one who could provide a sense of direction, develop an atmosphere of trust and inspire a spirit of hope. He did that effortlessly. I was a work in progress my whole career…made progress in those three areas, but failed a few times along the way on the middle one…the toughest one…building an atmosphere of trust. Why was that one so tough for me…well. I will save that for another article. BTW…which of those three do you think today’s political leaders fail on frequently? I would vote for the middle one…I find it hard to trust any politician (and that was part of my difficulty…I was alway a bit of a politician in the business world. Some would argue…more than “a bit”).
And we both believed in something we had both read about…don’t recall who to thank for the wisdom…but goes like this…
Approach everyone you meet as if they were wearing a sign that said, in bold letters, “MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT“. Why? Because they ARE IMPORTANT…each and every one, and we all want to feel important. If you can help them feel important in your interactions with them, we all win…and costs nothing. Was I able to do that 100% of the time in my life…absolutely not. However, as I said before, I am a work in progress and I succeed in that area much more than I fail…with plenty of room for improvement.
The respect behind the idea of helping everyone feel important was something that I noticed a lot on my recent visit to Japan. People there were genuinely respectful of one another and showed that respect openly and freely. We have a lot to learn from our Japanese friends.
Larry also taught me to value the data, particularly demographics. He tells a story in Pathway to Progress about advice he got on how to become an accurate futurists…”Keep an eye on the demographics. They will tell you more about the direction of a country or organization or culture than any other factor,”…Dr. Herbert Kahn of the Hudson Institute (who it was often rumored was the inspiration for the title character in the movie, Dr. Strangelove).
Larry was a deacon for life in his church. His deep religious beliefs greatly influenced his strong sense of ethics and ethical behavior. Larry lived his ethical life, not just in words, but with strong actions when he felt they were needed…without regard to his personal well being. That theme has carried through to his children…now grown adults who have also handled ethical situations with strong actions vs strong words. I admire them for those actions.
Larry and his family are people I admire, appreciate and they will always be a part of who I am.