While I first met Walt at Cincom, I didn't really get to know him until he began building the Teradata field organization. Many of us are forever indebted to Walt for enabling our careers at Teradata to happen.
I remember Walt as-
Fun- one of his favorite quips was "You've got to spend money to make money!" Everything about Walt was always upbeat, & he always wanted to make our work effort enjoyable
Humorous- Walt once told me "show me a prospect that orders a Jack Daniels at lunch, and I'll show you a prospect that I will close for you!" He was only half kidding - Walt had a great way with people in the selling process.
Caring- Among many other things, Walt insisted that each of us traveling to LA in the early days stay at Barnabey's Hotel in Manhattan Beach. He knew the hardships of roadwork, & really cared about his people
Practical- Once I was telling Walt about how I was at a midwest account (Kmart?) for a week in the winter, & when I came back to LA I had that nasty white salt line around my new shoes, which I spent about an hour trying to clean out. Walt's reply - "Mark my boy, I had that same thing on my shoes when I returned from there a few weeks ago. But I just threw them out & got a new pair!"
Proud- Despite his calmness at work, Walt gave it his all & spoke proudly about his company & product. His old "DBC/1012" CA license plate was a good example of his work attitude.
Generous- Walt would often invite the work crew down to his favorate watering hole in the Manhattan Beach Village complex after work on Fridays. He always refused our offers to pick up a tab - many of which I'm sure were quite large.
Walt was a wonderful and unique man. He had a voice that projected just right to grab attention in both the smallest of conference rooms and largest of speaking halls. Better yet, he had a smile & a laugh that could warm even the coolest of audiences. Best of all, Walt had a magic about him, that made him your friend before you ever even knew it. May he rest in peace with his Maker, & may his spirit live on in all of us.
Mark Oenbrink
Cincinnati, OH
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I got to know walt late in his sales career as a peer; everything I have read here is consistent with the walt I knew; all of Walt's direct reports loved him.
ReplyDeleteI did not know him long but he was a true gentleman!
God bless you young man!