I have previously written about my grandfather, Oleg Pecherskiy [Печерский Олег Петрович] (1936-2005), an orphan who grew to be an accomplished nuclear physicist, recognized twice for his contributions to the field of physics with the prestigious Russian State Prize. During his highly successful career, he managed a research institute with hundreds of staff, contributed to building the Angara 5-1 particle accelerator in the 1980s, and travelled the world in pursuit of global scientific advancement. I learned many things from my grandfather, some directly, and some through stories other people shared with me about him. Today I would like to share one particularly important lesson that I have long-since carried with me - a lesson in leadership.
Years ago, my mother told me this story:
In the early and mid-90s, my grandfather travelled to China on several occasions to foster and strengthen Chinese-Russian collaboration on scientific research. As he later relayed to my mother, he was both excited and impressed by the speed at which China was developing, and much admired the hard work and dedication of the Chinese people. One particular venture in China brought him to a new research facility that was being constructed. Upon arrival however, he was alarmed to find that the laboratories in which himself and his Chinese colleagues were to be working were quite dusty, jeopardizing some of the sensitive and precise equipment being installed therein. The explanation given was that while the laboratories in which they would be working had been completed, construction was still taking place on higher levels causing dust and debris throughout the facility.
Great Wall of China (1995)
After about a week of requesting the cleaning staff undertake a thorough cleaning of the laboratory, he took it on himself to fix the situation. The next morning, scientists and facility staff arrived on site to find my grandfather diligently mopping the floors. Embarrassed, they repeatedly tried to convince him to set the mop aside and permit the cleaning team to handle the job. With a smile, he politely declined their requests, and carried on finishing mopping the floors. For the rest of the stay there, the facility was spotless – there was someone washing the floor constantly!
I wish my grandfather knew the impact that this simple gesture created through the generations. His example instilled in our family a “roll-up your sleeves” type of attitude. I am fortunate that my two co-founders at StackAdapt share this same attitude, and I believe it contributes substantially to our good working relationship. In truth, there are many at our company who exhibit this quality, and the result is an environment where people take initiative when needed, and where no one is above any task, no matter the rank.
As I grow older and (hopefully) wiser, I now see that any one person can have a significant impact on their colleagues, their friends, and family – not by telling others around them what to do, but by the example they themselves set.
My grandfather and me at our dacha (1989)