Remembering a ... GREAT LEADER
“The difference between a good leader and a great leader is humility.”
– James Collins
UNCLE B was, indeed, a great leader. Every day good people die, and one such person (Uncle B) passed away on August 23, 2020.
He has left us with a legacy which embraces excellence and eschews mediocrity; a legacy of service to others and empowering of his fellowmen; a legacy of humility and genuine love for others; a legacy of hard work and dedication. Uncle B was the consummate servant leader.
An accountant by profession, Uncle B served his country in many capacities. He found his love in the credit union movement, where he made an indelible mark and gained many positive experiences. His choice of profession was not motivated solely by ‘big bucks’ or status. He was able to lead many organisations successfully because of his passion, hard work, and genuine love for others.
He travelled extensively, both locally and internationally, assisting in setting up co-operatives and providing training. His travels took him to Tanzania, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Iceland, Japan and the Caribbean islands. He had many fond memories of these travels and took pride in relating his experiences of living with the Eskimos in their igloos for a time. We always had a good laugh whenever he told the story of being “ejected suddenly” from Moscow on his empty pockets, because the government of the day thought that he was involved in setting up cliques against it.
His many and varied positions meant that he was a man of great authority. However, he remained humble and never forgot his roots. Frequent trips to rural St Ann to visit his many family members and friends demonstrate his genuine love for people, and for building and maintaining relationships. He would enjoy a drink, especially of vodka and tonic, at each of the many stops he made on such visits. It was on these journeys that the fun side of him was seen. He would regale us as children with many ‘duppy’ stories. His famous one was about the duppy that jumped on his car late one night. Space does not allow me to tell it.
Uncle B’s social skills were second to none. He had a knack for wanting to fix things, and was able to diffuse tension with even the grumpiest or angriest person or client and walk away being friends with them. He could be forthright, too, and I remember us being at a funeral and a young lady appeared scantily dressed. My uncle decided that she was not properly attired for a funeral and tried to impress upon me to speak to her. I refused as I felt that would sure bring a ‘curse out’, but Uncle B insisted, and approached the young lady. I was a bundle of nerves as I felt he, along with myself, was going to be embarrassed by some ‘serious cuss out’. After what seems like a lifetime of waiting, Uncle B was back, paper in hand with phone number and address and a family history. “What did you say to her,” I asked. “Did you really tell her?” In his own indomitable way, he said, “How? Someone has to point her in the right direction; she don’t know better, so I just asked her if the dressmaker ran out of material or if she had bought too little.” That marked the beginning of another friendship and a lesson from him to me: “Child, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.”
As we reflect on his life, it becomes clear that for him, real power was not so much in the positions he held but was, more importantly, in his relationships with his family members, friends and colleagues. Real power was in being ethical in all his dealings, and showing empathy and care to all with whom he interfaced
To know Uncle B meant learning a lot about leadership and humanity from him.
JANET GRAHAM-GORDON Niece