Page 40 - How We Lead Matters

Flying Solo

Before I decided to join my father’s business, or as he would remind me,
before he invited me to join the business, I had hurdles to jump.
I initially worked part-time for the company in the communications
area and, in my usual way, threw myself into the job, making it much more
than part-time. At one point, my father decided that I couldn’t possibly be
paying enough attention to my four young children if I was spending all that
time and energy on the company. One day, in a very brusque way, he sent me
home. I cried all the way down the back steps.
Several years later, when my children were nearly grown and my hus-
band was a busy surgeon, I was anxious to quicken my pace. It wasn’t until I
was being courted to run for governor of Minnesota that my potential—as
perceived by others—got my father’s attention and he asked me back. But
exactly what kind of a career path I was entering into was not clear.
My father never hid the fact that he was disappointed that he did not
have a son to step into his role. And until the day he announced in his
eighty-third year that I would become CEO, I never assumed that I would.
Like a horse frightened by the ever-increasing height of the bar, I often
wanted to back away, afraid that I wouldn’t make it. But I kept jumping.
Over the years, my father convinced himself that I could handle the job
and often referred to me as “First Daughter, Only Son.” One title inherited,
one title bestowed. Thanks, Dad, for both.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson 23