The value of hard work is something that I hope everyone has the opportunity to experience in their lifetime. I was blessed to be the son of very hardworking parents who never wanted anything given to them. They wanted to work for it and be proud of what they accomplished for their family. They are a part of the baby boomers generation, which witnessed innovation and progress at an amazing rate. With a nod to this generation, the following is a set of good lessons of hard work from my hero: my dad, Gary Griffin.
Lessons from a father
After 38 years at his craft, my father recently retired from being a radio personality in the Charleston, SC, market. He was a member of the #1 morning show for numerous years running.
He began his radio career in 1974 at a small radio station named WBER. He worked at this station for three years and was then awarded the opportunity to move to a new station that was getting buzz around town, WEZL FM 103.5. This was exciting for my dad. He had just been honorably discharged from the Navy after two tours in Vietnam and was trying to find his way for his family. He made very little money, and most days he would hitchhike or walk to work. My dad sold his mode of transportation, an old-school chopper, so he and my mom could afford to pay for my brother’s birth. He did whatever it took to provide for his family.
My parents struggled while my dad made his way in his radio career. They had very little money and lived in a very rough area of Charleston. But they couldn’t care less. My dad found something that he loved and that he knew could provide a life for his family if he worked hard, earned his “stripes,” and learned every day. Lesson 1: Learn something every day, put in a productive day of work, and earn your “stripes.” There are no shortcuts to success.
As time passed, my dad was continually focused on learning the radio business and being one of the best. He started working the overnight shift so he could just be on the radio, then he moved to middays, then finally the big time—morning radio. This is what he had been working for. He was awarded this opportunity because he had an incredible work ethic and he was always focused on the mission, vision and values of the company. He was not worried about his role; he knew it and he embraced it. Lesson 2: The mission, vision and values of your organization are more important than you.
When his longtime morning show partner went to another radio station in Tennessee, naturally, it was my dad’s turn to take over the show. He was offered the job as the program director and lead morning show host, which is equivalent to a fire chief in the radio world; the only difference is that he spoke to millions of people. Most people would have jumped all over this because of the opportunity to be the leader, but he didn’t see it that way. He enjoyed his continual growth in his position and how he had the ability to support the leader and make the morning show better, so he declined the offer.
A new lead host was hired, and my dad helped that new host in every way that he could, because if the lead host wasn’t successful, neither was my dad. Lesson 3: We must support new members and new leaders in an organization. They are there to help with progress. If we don't support them, productivity is slowed and success will be limited. This is deadly for an organizational culture and continual evolution.
Fast-forward a few years and my dad and his original morning show partner reunited on the same station to take it to the next level. They were nominated for national radio awards because of their creativity and cohesiveness. When you listened to “TJ and Gary in the Morning,” you couldn’t tell who the lead host was because both TJ and my dad worked so well together. My dad followed TJ at times, and TJ followed him at other times. This is what makes radio so special. The work relationship between the deejays is essential for success in the cutthroat world of entertainment. Lesson 4: Leadership and followership go hand in hand. Without followers, there is no leader. Without a leader, followers have no direction. They balance each other out and allow the progress of an organization to grow exponentially.
Humility matters
Hard work, dedication and humbleness allowed my dad to go from being broke to being one of the best morning show hosts in the country with the largest entertainment company in the world, iHeart Radio. I watched my dad work his heart out for radio for almost four decades and he never cared if anyone knew he was a celebrity. All he wanted to do was make the listeners happy and help the radio station improve. He was able to provide his family a great life because he never had an ego. I never saw or heard my dad speak negative of another person or curse another person. That’s unheard of. Sometimes I wonder if my dad is human. He cares for everyone he encounters and always wants to help them.
For all his hard work, my dad received the 2017 South Carolina Broadcasters Association Master’s Award, which recognized him for his “Outstanding Lifetime Achievements as an On-Air Broadcaster Advancing the Standards of Broadcasting Through Dedicated Service to the Broadcast Industry and to His Community.” No one is more deserving then him.
The day before this ceremony, he was asked to come back to the radio station that he was a part of for more than 38 years for an interview about the award. Little did he know, the company was planning to reveal that they had named the control room after him—the “Gary Griffin Control Room.” Now when any deejay goes to speak on the radio, they walk under his name, many of them likely hoping to carry on his legacy.
You would think on a day like this, my dad would be so excited to see everyone and make sure he stops in their offices to say hi and visit. Not my old man. When he arrived at the station, he went to the backdoor so no one could see him enter. Think about that. My dad is a legend at this place and he didn’t want to go in the front door because he didn’t want to draw attention to himself or disrupt work production. Amazing.
Still working …
With my dad now at 68 years old, I continue to learn the value of hard work from him. He has made enough money to never even think about working again. But what does he do now after being a radio celebrity for nearly four decades? Well, first he bagged groceries because he just wanted to work. Then he moved on to his current job at an auto parts store. He has terrible back problems; there are some days when he can barely even walk. But he works at this parts store stacking boxes, changing oil, stacking batteries and driving auto parts to dealerships. Does he have to do this? Not even close. He could be sitting on the beach anywhere in the world living the dream. But that’s not him. He was born a worker, lived his life as a worker, and will always be a worker. I am lucky to learn from such a special man. Thank you, Dad, for teaching me the value of hard work and not expecting anything to be given to me.
Earn it
Final lesson: Nothing is going to be given to you. Raises, promotions, training, degrees, opportunities. None of that. If you want to be successful, be a self-made person and dedicate the time and work it takes to do something epic. Don’t expect it to be given to you because you have “years” on the job. Earn it and be proud that you earned it. Why would you want something given to you? What’s the value in that? Let me answer that for you. There is none!
Dr. David Griffin
Dr. David Griffin is the assistant chief of administration in Charleston, SC. He was the operator of the first-due engine on June 18, 2007, when nine of his fellow firefighters perished. Griffin has come through the ranks in operations in every uniformed position, from firefighter to battalion chief and shift commander to his current position, during his 19-year career in Charleston. He has a bachelor's degree in education from The Citadel, a master's degree in executive fire service leadership, and a doctorate of education in organizational leadership and development. Griffin is the author of "In Honor of The Charleston 9: A Study of Change Following Tragedy," among three other books. He is an international speaker and instructor, a certified Chief Fire Officer and Chief Training Officer with The Center for Public Safety Excellence, an IFSAC/Pro Board-certified Fire Officer IV and a graduate of the Executive Fire Officer Program from the National Fire Academy. He is a graduate of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Executive Education program: Senior Executives in State and Local Government and of the Psychology of Leadership program at Cornell University's SC Johnson College of Business. Griffin is the owner of On A Mission, LLC, at drdavidgriffin.com.
