September 5, 2008

“Look at Leo, he’s a native no matter what town he’s in.”

We all loved Leo Watts.  He was one of us.  As his former colleagues, we all took pause, a long pause, to remember him.  Leo passed away recently after a long and hard fight with cancer.  We watched him battle it for twenty years.  Leo, and his fight, inspired us.

Leo was Baltimore.  A gentleman, yet a character.  He loved his family.  Devoted to his Catholic faith, Leo was Leo.  We loved him.  He will always be our friend, leaving an indelible mark on all of us who had the privilege, even honor, to know him.  There are times when words are not adequate to describe loss.  This is one of them.

Leo had the uncanny ability to be at ease around and with people from all walks of life and all stations therein.  At one conference, we watched him work the room as only Leo could.  With admiration came the observation, “Look at Leo, he’s a native no matter what town he’s in.”  He just knew how to make people feel comfortable.  Perhaps it was his mild manner.  Perhaps it was his genuine nature.  Perhaps it was his wry smile.  Likely it was just Leo being Leo.

In tribute to this dear friend and colleague, I share a few of Leo’s quotes gathered throughout the years I enjoyed the great favor of working with him.  He was always quotable…

“Just remember to keep in mind we can always raise our price in the best and final offer.” 

“Sales is like bus service.  You go outside.  You stand on the corner.  You talk to a few people.  You walk down the block and talk to a few more people.  You stand on a different corner and sooner or later, a bus will stop.”

“I need to evaluate mentally where I want to be physically.”

“During these reorganizations, you’ve just gotta bury your head in the sand and hope that all the trucks run around you.”

“Fifty percent of this business is mental and the rest of it should be in your head.”

“Today is the first day of the rest of my life.  In fact, I may just reinvent myself.  I think I’ll start with a mission statement.”

In reality, Leo never needed a mission statement.  His life itself was a statement in goodness.