Tyron Picard: There's a Latin term that accurately describes the life of Richard Zuschlag
In law school, lawyers are taught the term “Sui Generis,” which means “a person or thing that is unique unto itself; there is nothing else like it; a class of Richard Zuschlag, a Latin term called Sui Generis, embodied a unique person or thing unique unto itself in his professional, personal and civic life. He embodied this term in his work and leadership in Acadian Ambulance, where he ran over $23 million worth of evacuation transports in 2005 without receiving any payment from any governmental agency. Despite this, he remained committed to helping others, particularly the less fortunate, regardless of the cost. His passion was to save lives and help others in the community, particularly those less fortunate. Despite his struggles with cancer, Richard's focus was on community service, not business success. His last conversation with Tyron Picard was about the joy of spending time with his grandchildren, family, and Bible study group.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 10 เดือนที่แล้ว โดย TYRON PICARD ใน Business
In law school, lawyers are taught the term “Sui Generis,” which means “a person or thing that is unique unto itself; there is nothing else like it; a class of own.” Richard Zuschlag embodied that Latin term in his professional, personal and civic life. I learned 31 years ago when first meeting Richard that he had a magnetism that made people see and believe that they could be a part of something bigger than themselves. Whether it was saving lives at Acadian Ambulance, raising funds for a new school to be built or helping to fund a homeless shelter, he had a leadership ingredient that made all around him feel that any goal was attainable. He simply exuded the premise that people working together could always make a positive change. Here is a fact very few people know about how Richard ran Acadian Ambulance. In 2005, Acadian performed over $23 million worth of evacuation transports in the New Orleans metro area and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast before and immediately after Hurricane Katrina -- without even so much as a work order or written MOU for payment from any governmental agency.
People needed help, and Richard’s mantra of “save lives/help people and we’ll worry about getting paid later” was the mission. An unpaid receivable of that size if left unpaid could have been catastrophic for Acadian. That did not deter Richard. The work done by Acadian in New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina was lauded by the President of the U.S. and the national media. Then after a few months of wrangling with FEMA and multiple trips to Washington D.C., Acadian was indeed reimbursed for doing the right thing. That story was the essence of Richard -- do right by your fellow man, regardless of the cost. Richard’s core philosophy not only applied to caring for citizens and patients but also caring for our community, particularly the less fortunate.
Frequently, he would say in Acadian Ambulance board meetings: “Well, we have to send a donation to nonprofit XYZ because they can’t raise money, except from people like us, and if we don't help them, they may fail…” On my last duck hunt with Richard in December, he told me how he was entering a different season of life. He commented on how his daily motivation and success measurement was no longer growing the company or business success but from the joy of one-on-one time with his grandchildren, having his whole family gathered for special occasions and the peace and grace that flowed from the men in his Bible study group. In my last conversation with him four weeks ago, as he was completing a cancer treatment in Houston, he reflected that for the first time in his life he was not in control of something. His treatment was controlled by his doctors, and his aftercare was controlled by his loving wife Elaine, his children and his Acadian family.
“Not being in charge has given me a greater sense of appreciation and gratitude for all that these different people caring for me are doing every day,” he said in his final comment to me. Even in the final month of his life, Richard was still teaching those blessed to call him a friend about how to live life. Sui Generis. Richard’s persuasion, positive attitude and sense of duty to community became infectious to anyone who worked with him. Richard could make a few a few calls to pull together $100,000 for a homeless shelter during the day and then have dinner with a U.S. president, vice president or Fortune 500 CEO that night. He never lost his human touch with his fellow man. That is the greatest lesson imparted from my friend Richard, which I have endeavored to pass on to my children and my employees.
หัวข้อ: Latino