Free Agent

In this episode - Free Agent . . .

Are you waiting for a job description? Do you take the initiative to provide outstanding customer service? Who is your customer anyway?

Reality check - in business and life as individuals, we are President & CEO of our own personal services corporation - Free Agents. Responsible for the brand called You! The most valuable corporation in business today. Whether you're a free agent (between jobs), a producer, or a player, you are free to sign with any club or franchise. Whatever your current status, believing in yourself and your potential is important.

It’s been said, “Today, loyalty is the only thing that matters.” It isn't blind loyalty to a company. It's loyalty to your colleagues, loyalty to your team, loyalty to your project, loyalty to your customers, and loyalty to yourself. It seems each of us must discover this fundamental truth repeatedly throughout history. William Shakespeare said it so eloquently; “And this above all, to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night to day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” When we are true to ourselves, we are enriching others. This is a plain and simple yet forgotten and misunderstood truth.

For over 27 years, I proudly served an esteemed franchise with enthusiasm, honor, loyalty, responsibility, and dedication. Let me give you a few examples of personal mentors who challenged me to soar beyond the call of duty. Among them is G. Robert Crowningshield, former Vice President of the GIA Gem Trade Labs, scientist, author, and gem connoisseur. Tawfic Farah, Ph.D., international business analyst, my personal professor, and dear friend. Richard T. Liddicoat, Chairman Emeritus of GIA’s Board of Governors, author of The Handbook of Gem Identification, and inventor of the GIA Diamond Grading System. These men challenged me to “mine the Acres of Diamonds in my imagination.” They taught me (by example) that you can produce bottom-line results through hard work, experimentation, reflection, and implementation. The goal is to serve the customer better than anyone else. These men epitomized loyalty and provided daily case studies for studious observers to absorb and practice.

For example, I’ll never forget the profound lesson I learned from Crowningshield one night while participating in a New Jersey Chapter Alumni event. Crowningshield invited me to accompany him to a presentation on Synthetic Diamonds. This was long before computerized PowerPoint presentations. With the audience oblivious and Crowningshield watching from the stage, I dumped his entire slide carousel. I immediately thought, "Oh No - what have I done!" But he never broke stride. He continued as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, frantically, I was trying to re-insert the slides into some semblance of order in the back of the room. His presentation went flawlessly. That night, immediately following his presentation, he walked briskly and directly to the back of the room. He put a hand on my shoulder and said, “Excellent job handling that slide projector thank you. I think we did quite well tonight, don’t you?” The lesson was clear - loyalty you treat your colleagues exactly how you see them . . .

Then, there was the humbling lesson from Tawfic; we discussed Machiavelli's The Prince. At lunch one day, I asked Tawfic about Machiavelli's philosophy, “Politics is the art of the possible.”

“The Prince is about power; it’s about walking over people, clawing your way up the ladder," he said. "You were in Florence, you saw his tomb," he continued, "but even Machiavelli died, as we all will. Power corrupts people. The art of the possible is working with people, finding people you can trust, and allowing them to make mistakes. We all make mistakes. And when we do, we never pass the blame. "Take responsibility," he explained. "But, when you do what you love, and are given the opportunity to do, quietly, with integrity and no fanfare, you will discover the art of the possible.” - Loyalty to your fellow colleagues.

2002 The Loupe - GIA World News published my profile after receiving the Staff of the Year award. The article "Mr. GIA Goes Beyond the Call of Duty; Patrick Ball’s personal approach leaves permanent mark on GIA” resulted from many interviews.

And the most treasured endorsement came from Richard Liddicoat. “In business, it is almost always much more satisfying to talk with someone who is enthusiastic about the activities of the company they represent. Another important factor is a person's awareness of the company's history and evolution. Patrick Ball knows and understands all of GIA's opinions and positions with respect to trade practices in both the diamond and colored stone sectors. He knows every nuance of the Institute's culture. Patrick has strong values and convictions on how every diamond and colored stone customer should be treated. I recognized these qualities in Patrick during his GIA student days and very much wanted him to be on the GIA team. His passion, loyalty, and success have far exceeded my early expectations.”

This brings me back to the concept of a free agent - You Inc. We are President and CEO of our own personal services corporation. With courage, curiosity, dedication, and loyalty, take these treasured lessons to the marketplace and explore the vast new horizons that lie before you.

Remember, "Each of us is, at this moment, standing in the middle of his or her Acres of Diamonds.”

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.