... a personal story... Leadership that Shines Unexpected Solutions.

Closing his shoeshine stand for the evening at the Grand Hyatt Washington, the man saw me and very pleasantly told me to sit down. I protested mildly, but I really did want my boots shined before the ASAE Summit Awards Dinner. Before he got his polish back out, he had already earned a generous tip.

To initiate conversation, I asked his opinion of the big Washington-Dallas game, but with a very pronounced accent, the shoeshine man said he really didn't care for American football - his sport was soccer and he also enjoyed karate. Born in France, he had left his home on Africa's Ivory Coast 17 years ago to come to the United States.

He then mentioned his son played basketball and began a story that kept me mesmerized until my boots were ready for an evening out.

His son was on a full scholarship at a nearby university. He had been recruited by several schools and talked about playing in the pros. But Dad had other plans. Only a few players make the pros. Dad's advice was to enjoy his four years and then go to medical school. The man said this with such conviction that I had little doubt that the son was a future doctor.

Admittedly, it is not so unusual for a man in his position to have a son that excelled in sports. And from the man's build, it was possible that he had also been an accomplished athlete.

The son was not his only child.

An older daughter had just received her undergraduate degree and was now in pharmacy school. He had surprised her at her college graduation with a brand new car-keeping his promise made four years before.