Growing up I spent countless hours and days at Reuter, Inc. in Carroll, Iowa. Reuter, Inc. was my Dad’s business — an International Harvester farm implement dealership and an International Trucks dealership. I started out cleaning bathrooms, emptying trash, and sweeping floors. I moved “up” to working the parts counter and assembling equipment. (I never did catch the desire to fix and repair engines.) Later on as I got older I would sit in on morning meetings in my Dad’s office with the sales guy and finance guy as they told stories, reviewed numbers, and in essence reviewed their pipeline and upcoming activity. There was no agenda or whiteboard or technology — simply a common spirit and theme that looking back anchored everything at Reuter, Inc.
LEADERSHIP THRU SERVICE
That was the Reuter, Inc. tagline and it was on everything — every newspaper ad, pen, notepad, hat, banner, letter opener. Leadership Thru Service. That was how business was done, people were treated, decisions were made. Leadership Thru Service. There was no other way.
I never forgot that mantra. (Partly because I always wondered why my Dad spelled “thru” that way? ツ HaHa) And that motto has stuck with me more than anything from all my early years of employment working at Reuter, Inc.
Leadership Thru Service
Servant Leadership
One can lead only to the extent one is willing to serve.
That’s how to make an impact as a leader — and everyone can be a leader! — no matter how you spell it. Thanks, Dad!
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