Welcome to a very special episode and wisdom mini-series. This four-part series originates from an archive of rare 2004 recordings of wisdom conversations with my mentor, John Wells Jr. In the truest sense this batch of wisdom has been two decades in the making.
Sadly, John passed away in early February 2005, after battling cancer. Those conversations and recordings served as a pre-cursor, perhaps even a prequel to this podcast which launched 15 years later in 2019.
A Powerful Six-Word Phrase for Leaders
Part Three of our our mini-series is the shortest of the four. In it, you will discover one of John’s favorite leadership tools. It’s a powerful, six-word phrase that’s easy to grasp, easy to use and easy to master. It holds the power to unlock your leadership potential.
Enjoy this concise, practical wisdom lesson from John Wells Jr. As you listen and learn, begin to think where and when you will have the best opportunity to apply it.
More About Our Wise Guest – John Wells, Jr.
John was one of the most effective and influential mentors in my lifetime. He taught, led and influenced me, opening my eyes and expanding my thinking on those things that truly matter. I was deeply blessed to know him.
John was a dedicated retail veteran and community leader who co-founded Wells Home Furnishings after many years working at R.H. Kyle Furniture Co.
Known for his entrepreneurial spirit, he led his business to award-winning success and earned induction into the National Wholesale Furniture Association Hall of Fame. Beyond his career, Wells was deeply involved in civic and youth service organizations in Charleston, including the Boys Scouts, YMCA and United Way, among others, reflecting his commitment to community betterment.
In 2000, John was honored with the prestigious Ernst Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Though he never sought the spotlight, one day the President of the United States, George W. Bush, stood in Charleston and honored John Wells for his service. His legacy is marked by his dedication to his family, his profession and his community, leaving a lasting impact on everyone who knew him.
Wisdom Resources
YMCA Spirit of the Valley Tribute Video to John Wells, Jr. (2005)
Wells Home Furnishings website
Credits
Special thanks to Motion Masters, Inc. – Diana Sole Walko, CEO/President – for generously supporting and capturing video and audio from these 2004 sessions.
Editor + Technical Advisor Bob Hotchkiss
Brand + Strategy Advisor Andy Malinoski
PR + Partnerships Advisor Rachel Bell
Marketing, Social Media and Graphic Design Chloe Lineberg
Stay Connected with Us on Social
YouTube @themainthingpod
Twitter @themainthingpod
Instagram @themainthingpod
Facebook @TheMainThingPod
TikTok @TheMainThingPod
Help Support the Wisdom and Sustain This Podcast
- Become a subscriber.
- Share the podcast with one or two friends.
- Follow us on social media @TheMainThingPod
- Buy some Main Thing Merch from our Merchandise Store.
- Buy a book from our curated wisdom collection on bookshop.org.
- Become a patron and support us on Patreon with funding.
Episode Keywords
Wisdom, Leadership, Questions, Mentor, Chairperson, Suggestion, Ideas, Decision-making, Culture, Growth, Teamwork, Podcast, Cancer, Service, Servant
Episode Transcript
0:00:00 – Announcer (Intro)
Wisdom. It’s an incredibly valuable asset, some would say more precious than gold. It’s attractive, appealing, admirable. Conversely, a lack of wisdom is the basis of immaturity, blind spots and bad decisions. Wisdom, it can be gained over time, but it can’t be rushed. But wisdom can be shared. That’s precisely what we are here to do right now, today. We are here to hack wisdom, to distill it, to understand it and to process it. Why? To get better at life. Welcome to the Main Thing. This is your new wisdom podcast.
I’m your host, Skip Lineberg, and I’ve set out to interview the wisest people I know. We’ll see what we can learn from each one when they’re faced with an incredibly difficult, soul-piercing question.
0:01:09 – Skip Lineberg (Host)
The weekly account sync meeting at Maple Creative had just wrapped up. It was our usual agenda, with John and his son, his business partner, Johnny, going over upcoming offers, the week’s advertisements for the furniture store and any new graphic design or research projects that needed attention.
As we closed our notebooks and gathered our papers, John leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful look settling over his face. “Skip,” he said in his steady, familiar tone, “if you can give me a ride back to the furniture store, I’d like to visit with you for about another 30 minutes or so. Then he turned to his son. “Johnny, you can head on back to the shop. I’ll get a ride back from Skip.”
That’s how it often was with John. Wisdom had a way of showing up in the middle of ordinary moments, but on this day we didn’t even make it to the car.
0:02:05 – Skip
John and I lingered right there in the fishbowl conference room at Maple Creative, the big maple conference table still scattered with notes and job jackets, mock-ups and half-empty coffee cups. In those quiet few minutes, John shared one of the most practical leadership lessons I’ve ever heard. He called it a simple phrase that every leader should keep at the ready. You see, to John, leadership wasn’t about seizing the first good idea and running with it. It was about slowing down, asking thoughtful questions and drawing out the kind of deeper thinking that leads to wiser decisions.
0:02:49 – Skip
That afternoon, in those same chairs where we just discussed business ad layouts, research briefs for Wells Home Furnishings, john taught me how a six-word phrase can help leaders boost a promising idea or gently test its limits and its downsides, without discouraging or disparaging the person who proposed it.
In this episode, part three of our four-part miniseries “Conversations with my Mentor John,” you’ll hear why John believed that true leadership begins with patience, the willingness to think things through and to encourage others to do the same. Now, here’s John Wells with Part Three of our wisdom conversations.
0:03:53 – John Wells Jr.
Let’s just say you’re chairing a meeting, and you are the designated leader, or even if you’re not, when a suggestion comes up about something. Before something is grasped and gone with this, let’s do this, or that. As a leader, the thing I have learned is to simply do this one thing to make me a stronger leader, and that is: “let’s take that one more step.”
“That’s a good idea. Let’s take it one more step. What would we gain by doing that?”
Well, we would get this, that or the other thing.
“Is there any reason why we shouldn’t do it?”
Well, maybe our advertising budget would go up, maybe this would happen or that would happen.
0:04:55 – John Wells Jr.
My point is that a leader should have the patience to take another step and fall back and watch the response of the younger people. The younger people are going to say, I have a great idea, let’s go out and do this tomorrow. Well, that’s still … it may be a good idea, but leadership shows up …. Like at the YMCA, if somebody comes up with an idea, you can develop your own leadership right in the room by saying, “That’s a great idea. How many members would we gain from doing that?”
Well, I don’t know, it would be so-and-so and so-and-so.
I’d say, “Well, okay, can you think of what our net cost may be per member?”
0:05:39 – John Wells Jr.
What’s happening is you’re asking these questions. People are thinking: Gee, those are really great questions. I didn’t think of that question myself.
You know why they weren’t thinking of it? They weren’t thinking of anything, they were just thinking of just sitting there listening.
But a leader will automatically go into mule gear and think well, let’s see, let’s go to the next question about this idea, and they’ll think it through.
And so my advice to younger men and women is, as they go up the ladder in life, whenever they have thoughts … or whether somebody suggests something to them … think it through. Think it through past where you are right now, and you will find that there’s a different answer to it— and a more complete, wise answer that will get you to where you’re going— better than it would if you just struck off and said, Let’s try this or that.
0:06:42 – Skip (Final Reflections from Host)
Hey, it’s Skip again and I’m back to share a final reflection. I have two brief thoughts for you. First, John was so generous.
I was blessed that John, my mentor, took extra time to teach me valuable life lessons and leadership tools. He didn’t have to spend that extra half-hour with me that day. Yet John took the time to invest in me and a handful of other aspiring young leaders in our region. For that investment, his mentoring, I’m forever grateful.
0:07:14 – Skip
The second thought that I want to share with you is just how useful and practical this leadership approach is. I use it, or a version of it, very, very often. Where John might have said, “Let’s take that one step further,” I will often simply say, “Tell me more about that.” Whichever form you use, adapt it to make it your own words. Regardless, it’s a great tool to keep on the top tray of your leadership toolbox.
What I love about it, and what John showed me, is how it’s a respectful approach with full integrity. And it can be used to snuff out a bad idea. You really just let the originator of that dud talk it out until they can see that it’s not feasible or logical or not timely. The other edge of that same tool is that it can be used to flesh out and build support, even consensus, for a good, solid idea.
0:08:17 – Skip
Hey, that’s all for now. I invite you back next week. Please come back and join us again for Part Four of the final chapter of this unique mini-series “Wisdom Conversations with My Mentor John.”
0:08:36 – Announcer (Outro)
That goes by incredibly fast, doesn’t it? Time flies when you’re hacking wisdom. Thank you for listening to this wisdom conversation. If you enjoyed this podcast and found the wisdom lesson valuable, then I encourage you to share it with a loved one or friend.
Did you know: podcast recommendations from one person to another remain the strongest form of podcast growth worldwide? It’s true, and we’d appreciate you helping spread the good word.
0:09:03 – Announcer
Let’s give a big, hearty thank you to the crew of the Main Thing Podcast. These are the folks who truly keep the wisdom pipeline flowing: audio engineer Bob Hotchkiss, strategy advisor Andy Malinoski, public relations and partnerships guru Rachel Bell, social media and digital marketing expert Chloe Lineberg, graphic designer Emma Malinoski. And, of course, our patrons— those generous folks who provide monthly funding support to help underwrite our costs of production. I couldn’t do it without you, nor would I want to.
Your feedback matters a lot. If you have a question, a suggestion, maybe an idea or even a nomination of a future show guest, I’d love to hear from you. Email me at info at themainthingpodcast dot com.
Well, that’s a wrap for this show. I’m your host, Skip Lineberg, signing off for now and inviting you to join us again next time for another special delivery of wisdom.
