Dear Elbert,

I had heard about your special story of delivering a message for years. It is often referred to in print as a business classic. For five years, I worked in the building you built in East Aurora, NY to house your businesses.

I have learned much of the history about your progressive thinking and your dream of making a difference in the art and business world. Your quotes of wisdom pop up all of the time in various articles.

I have been a house sitter with my wife in the magnificent Tudor home you built on the hill.

Elbert, you and I have some history together. It wasn’t until recently though, that a 1955 reprint of your famous work came to grab my full attention as it fell out of the storage box.

“A Message to Garcia” penned by you after supper in February of 1899, in just about an hour’s time, has been popular reading for over 100 years now. That is something worth writing to you about. (Newsletter readers click here to read Elbert’s “A Message To Garcia” online.)

Your story of one hundred years ago is significant to me because its message today is as timely as it was the day you wrote it. Things haven’t changed much in the way people perform today, Elbert, than they did in your time. You may be unhappy to read that fact, but I am delighted to be able to write it.

You see, my generation of baby boomers thought that the work force at the turn of the century, unspoiled by HBO, camera phones and the internet, just went to work every day, put their heads down and pulled just like a work horse pulling a plow over five acres.

You make it clear in your essay that wasn’t the case and that the problems you faced as an employer, manager and leader were not much different than today. Elbert, it gives me renewed faith in humankind that people will act the same way for the next few hundred years. We in business aren’t facing a downward trend in employee attitudes; it has always been a limited world of “doers” (like Lieutenant Rowan) in a sea of regular folk.

The short version of the message to Garcia is that Lt. Andrew Rowan was assigned a task of delivering a message from President McKinley to the remotest part of Cuba to insurgent General Garcia with no other instructions than “ do it!” It was like an episode from the TV show, “Mission Impossible”.

The inside cover of my booklet containing “A Message to Garcia” has your thoughts on initiative. You describe initiative as:

1. “Doing the right thing without being told.”
2. “Next to doing the thing without being told, is to do it when you are told once.”
3. “Next are those who never do a thing until they are told twice. . . ."
4. “Next are those who only do the right thing when Necessity kicks them from behind.”
5. Then. . . .we have the fellow who will not do the right thing even when someone shows him and stays to see that he does it. . . .He is always out of a job”

“To which class do you belong?”

Elbert, my message for you is one of gratitude for publishing your thoughts over one hundred years ago. Your observations of human nature are good reading for all times as the challenge of finding people like Rowan will always be present for leaders.

Lead for success like Elbert and Lt. Rowan and grow your business!! This is just one of the eight strategies I can teach you to achieve that goal. Would you like to know more? click here

"When put to the test, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness." -- Elbert Hubbard

"Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped." -- Elbert Hubbard

"Never explain - your friends do not need it, and your enemies will not believe you anyway." -- Elbert Hubbard

More than one person has told me a story about the Elbert Hubbard house in East Aurora, NY being haunted. It is a spectacular piece of architecture that was built by the best craftsmen available. It’s not visible from the street on its wooded lot.

I recall when Betsey and I were housesitting for the owners of the Hubbard House. The interior of the house was a bit on the dark side even in brightest daylight. As there was an abundance of dark stained woodwork in the well-shaded house that was complemented with cigarette smoke stained walls, it was not a well lit and cheery place. I might say it bordered on creepy.

At night, it was dark inside; Edgar Allen Poe dark. I recall waking up in the middle of the night while staying there and feeling that spine chilling feeling of someone being there other than us. Of course, I rationalized my way back to sleep rather than dwell on the causes for the goose bumps.

It wasn’t until many years later that I heard fantastic stories about ghostly encounters at this house, first hand, from the ghost spotter. The teller of the story was a man with initiative that Elbert would be proud to know.

Maybe he did get to know him.

Thanks for reading. Please forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might enjoy it. The subscriber list continues to grow thanks to your efforts.

Newsletter topic ideas and comments are always welcome. Send me an e-note.

Life is short, ride hard.

Doug

I also write a weekly electronic newsletter for Professional Horsemen. If you are interested in the business world of horsemen, or have friends in the horse business,take a peek. I am spurring others on to help me promote this newsletter.