It’s in my DNA

Grandpa McCleelan & Jeni

I learned a lot from my grandfathers. Both took it upon themselves to care for their community, each in different ways. I learned both the need for formal leadership, one as a Mayor and the other as a community leader, as well as information leadership, building life-long relationships and being there for people when they needed you. 

I learned that relationships will always mean more than discounts, false promises, or even, within reason, price. I learned that sometimes creating something solid that gets the job done, is more important than making it pretty. I also learned that I have a long history of public service and community leadership in my DNA that makes me who I am today.

My grandpa McClellan, Claiborne Dewey “CD” McClellan became the first Mayor of Carlsbad, California in 1952 when the city incorporated. He was kind, thoughtful and a great maker of things. He built the changing table my parents used for all three of us kids, he made blocks with leather straps we could strap to our shoes and walk around and make noise, and he made us a rocking chair, which I am saving for my first grandchild. His work was not elegant or fancy, but it was rock solid and always met its goal.  

I was one of his youngest grandchildren, my dad being the youngest in the family by quite a bit, so when I came around he was retired and had lots of time to sit and color with me or just listen to whatever I decided was important to share. He died when I was young, so many of my memories are from pictures, but I do have a few cherished memories of going out to his shop to watch him build something.

Grandpa Dufur

On my mom’s side, my Grandpa Dufur was the one who took care of everyone. He was the elder statesman in the family and supported and coached all his siblings and in-laws. He brought everyone together over BBQ hamburgers or spaghetti, and every year, he would painstakingly hang Christmas balls from their ceiling on fishing line so the whole living room and family room felt like a magical place! What I remember most was that he loved to tickle us. He was full of joy and great humor and loved to play pranks. Grandpa Dufur was a glass salesman. He was friends with everyone because he truly cared about people and made sure they had what they needed.

One year, when his glass company started making green glass, his boss told him to go offer 7-Up a 50% discount to switch production to their company. My grandfather just laughed and said, “Thanks, but I’ve been calling on them for 10 years, they will switch because they trust me, not because of a discount.” At which point he went out and secured a multi-year contract at full cost.

I know that I learned a lot from my grandmothers as well, but interestingly, it was always my grandfathers who inspired me in my professional goals and it was the things I learned from them that helped me succeed. I realized that I had deeply rooted values around relationships, how you treat people, and how you show up, that were seeded by these two amazing men.

Who did you learn early lessons from? Sometimes these are good and other times, they help illuminate what you don’t want. Identifying the early lessons can shed light on how you decided who you wanted to become. Once you identify these lessons, how do you want to lean into them, or reject them, in service to how you want to show up in the world?