Page 281 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

262 The Disney Way

parties, you might see him as an elder classman trying to resist dancing the night
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away. Admittedly, says George, “I’m an institution unto myself.” He is totally
authentic. He’s the kind of guy who engages you in his dream, no matter what
he’s doing. He was even able to engage his own father in his dream.
The story goes that when George Zimmer graduated with a degree in
economics from Washington University in St. Louis, he joined his dad’s
apparel-manufacturing company based in Dallas. His first assignment was
as a purchasing agent in Hong Kong. After returning to the United States,
he sold clothes out of the back of a Buick Electra. One day, a customer
wanted to return some unsold goods and vowed to purchase a large amount
of another item as compensation. Zimmer’s father, Robert, thought the
request was unreasonable, but George felt it was important to their busi-
ness to grant it. “George always took strong positions on things he felt
deeply about,” said Robert. Knowing that George’s dream of starting the
first Men’s Wearhouse would require a $300,000 investment, this support-
ive father dutifully came to the plate with the needed cash. Today, Robert
proudly sits on Men’s Wearhouse board of directors. Brother Jimmy, a
suit buyer and company advisor, as well as Richie Goldman, a good friend,
philosopher, and image-maker, also became early partners who bought into
the dream.
George was determined to create a shopping experience that was a whole
lot of fun, not stuffy and “buttoned-down” as in the typical stores, shopping
centers, and malls. George once told a group of executives that most men
view suit shopping with the same enthusiasm as getting a root canal. From
that first Houston-based store, George reinvented the suit-shopping experi-
ence and fashioned the company into North America’s leading retailer of
tailored men’s clothing. And, after 30 years, the store at 6100 Westheimer
in Houston, Texas, is still thriving!
When entrepreneurs are still in the dream stage of a new venture, neces-
sity is the “mother of invention.” Young Zimmer and his partners couldn’t
even afford a cash register in the early days, so they made use of a cigar
box for several weeks. It came in handy on the very first day when the sales
reached $3,000.
What has made George’s dream come alive over the years—not only for
himself, but for millions of others who hear his basso delivery of the simple
but powerful phrase, “I guarantee it”—is the passion for his customers and for
his employees. He exudes that personal commitment to “servant-leadership,”
leaders as servants, as business guru Robert Greenleaf penned in The Servant