What I Learned From My Boss

At his funeral, this song kept playing in my head.

"There's a hole in the world tonight,
there's a cloud of pain and sorrow.
There's a hole in the world tonight,
don't let there be a hole in the world tomorrow."
(courtesy of The Eagles)

That pretty much summed up how I felt to lose a mentor and a great friend that I worked with for nearly 25 years. So perhaps the best tribute I can make to the late Denny Hales is to share some of what I learned from him.

1. You, too, can make it through eight weeks of 18+ hour autumn days at the Ohio Expo Center - if you have liberal amounts of Crown Royal and cola.

2. It's not who you include, but who you leave out - when planning an event, an award or something in writing - that will get you into trouble.

3. Keep the big picture, and your mission, in your mind at all times.

4. Try to build consensus when you can, but don't be afraid to use your clout if you have to.

5. No matter what you are doing, have fun - or it's not worth doing.

6. Separate the message from the messenger - the WHAT is more important than the WHO.

7. Don't be afraid to be innovative. Or to steal good ideas. Learn from your mistakes.

8. You can get a lot of work done when you work without a name tag.

9. There are times when the best solution is to walk away.

10. This too shall pass.

Rest in peace, Boss. I know you're up there having one heck of a party with the horsemen and women who went before you - people like Paul Wilt, Jim Wells, Shirley DeLorean and Jeanine Lutz. And I look forward someday to seeing that ultimate horse show all of you are working on now.