CEO Lesson From My Father: Answer the Call

The CEO role is one of ultimate accountability. 

Having come from a family business on Main Street (aka Lake Ave), I witnessed firsthand what true entrepreneurial responsibility actually looked like long before I ever entered the startup and technology world.

My father was the founder, the CEO, the president, the head of marketing, the head of product, the head of supply chain, the head of finance, the head of accounting… heck, he even had parking lot duty. He was the cleaner. The janitor. The sales clerk. The “I’ll do whatever it takes to make this succeed” guy.

When you grow up around that day in and day out for your entire upbringing, it does something to you. It not only influences and inspires you, but it engrains and roots a DNA, a mindset, and a work ethic deeply into your veins that, if channeled correctly, can lead to a wildly fulfilling career and life.

Recently, while on vacation in Florida with my family, one very specific memory about my father popped back into my head. No matter where he was, no matter what he was doing, he answered the phone. It didn’t matter if it was Saturday at 2am, Tuesday evening, or Sunday afternoon. It didn’t matter if he was at home, at a sports game, sitting in the stands, or walking around an amusement park with family. If one of his employees, store managers, clients, or partners called, he answered. It wasn’t rude to anyone…  It was simply the life of a business owner.

I can still remember the sound of the home phone ringing growing up and later the increasingly loud ring of his cell phone as he got older and his hearing started to go a bit.

I found myself reflecting on that while answering calls myself from colleagues, prospects, founders, clients, partners, and longtime relationships while away with my family. We had some big initiatives and deals in flight and I wasn’t going to get myself behind or let my company lapse or stall. Sure, there were times when the phone was out of reach or a call or email could wait but when it’s important, the entrepreneur knows.

From the outside, people sometimes frame behavior like this negatively. They’ll say you can’t unplug. That you don’t have work-life balance. That you’re consumed by work, addicted to it, consumed by it even. Maybe, sometimes, overwhelmed and overrun.

But I think there’s an important distinction people miss. Maybe it’s all those things and more.

A lot of the time, it’s not an obsession, it’s responsibility. It’s accountability. It’s pride in being dependable to the people counting on you. It’s flexibility to live and work anywhere. To be at the game, to be home on the weekends, to travel. And ironically, fulfillment and success in those environments often create even more responsibility and opportunity over time. As with many things, it becomes innate and compounds.

I learned a lot from both of my parents (and still do!), but this particular lesson from my father stuck deeply with me. Show up and always be available. Care enough to answer the call and do what needs to be done. Repeat over a very long period of time.

That mindset shaped a huge part of who I became as an operator, entrepreneur, investor, and leader. It’s something I share often to those who choose this life and who will answer the call and listen.