The Legacy of Ernie Minor

When I was twelve years old a friend convinced me to try caddying at a local country club. The idea sounded better than mowing lawns, so I showed up one morning at Inglewood Country Club with no clue what I was doing. I learned quickly that there was a hierarchy among caddies and that I was solidly at the bottom.

The experienced caddies had regular customers. As a newcomer I was one of the last to be chosen – until one day when I was sent out soon after showing up. I would be caddying for a member named Ernie Minor. What I didn’t know was that Ernie was the cheapest member at Inglewood and none of the other caddies wanted to work for him.

The going rate for an inexperienced caddy was $2.50 per 18 holes, and normally the member would add a one dollar tip. I spent 4 1/2 hours with Ernie and his pals, cleaning clubs, hunting balls and lugging his huge golf bag up and down hills. When it was over he thanked me and handed me a dime. One dime!

That experience happened over sixty years ago yet it remains firmly planted in my brain. Ernie might have been a great guy, a successful businessman and a great father, but for me his legacy is that he was a cheapskate. Caddies weren't allowed in the clubhouse, but I’ll bet the waiters and waitresses also knew Ernie as a tightwad.

One of these days you’ll be retired. How do you want to be remembered by those who worked with and for you? Will they say you were a tyrant who demanded more than he gave? Will they say that your power came from your title and that you were largely ineffective as a manager? Or will they say that you earned their respect every day by being tough, but fair? Legacies are built one interaction at a time. Despite our best efforts to camouflage intent, coworkers know exactly who we are.

The nice thing about legacies is that they can be changed. If you take an honest look at your interactions with employees and customers, you might find that some changes are needed. Legacies are built slowly but legacy revisions take even longer.

Don’t fall into the trap of making short-term changes and expecting everyone to notice. If you have a short fuse, people will come to expect that behavior from you. If you have been slow to make decisions your employees may not notice immediately that you are doing better. And don’t forget that one misstep can send a message that that you haven’t really changed at all.

Does it matter how you are remembered as a manager? That answer is up to you. What really matters is your effectiveness on a daily basis. If you are proactive, analytical, empathetic, decisive and bold, you will enjoy more success than a manager who is indecisive, fearful and uncaring.



Ernie Minor may have changed later in life. I’ll never know because he only had one summer to build his legacy with me. I am a far more effective leader than I was 40 years ago, and I hate to think how many people I might have negatively impacted along the way, but I know I can have a positive impact from this day forward. Why not start building your managerial legacy today?