Remembering Tony Garcia: Lessons on Life and Leadership
August 1, 2018 by Russell Evans
Like so many others, I was heartbroken to learn of the untimely passing of Tony Garcia this past Friday. While I know Tony from his time as Foresters Financial President and CEO, he also touched many lives as President of Western and Southern Financial Group and as President and CEO of TIAA-CREF Life Insurance Company.
I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with him directly for 3 years and consider him both a mentor and a friend.
During the brief time we had together, Tony taught me about financial services, leadership and life in general. As a way to remember him, I wanted to share a bit of what I learned.
People
In one of our first one-on-ones, Tony told me: “Leadership isn’t about you… it’s about your people.” He went on to explain that this meant your team and their needs need to come before you do.
As CEO of Foresters, Tony’s team was over 2,000 employees strong. And he had the amazing gift to make each of us feel that we were seen, heard and valued.
Tony always emphasized to me that while we were all employees with a job to do, we were people first. And that as CEO, his most important job was to get to know his team. He practiced this philosophy every day, warmly greeting every employee he met in an elevator or hallway and sacrificing time with his family to meet Foresters Financial staff in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. And he showed the same commitment to Foresters business partners and members.
I know how much these interactions meant to Tony, but I’m not sure he ever fully knew the difference they made for others. When people met with Tony, they could feel his commitment. Tony genuinely loved Foresters and his Foresters family.
Authenticity
Tony never hid from who he was or where he came from. He embraced it. He cheered loudly when ‘his team’ was successful, wore his heart on his sleeve and was never afraid to say ‘I love you’…. even at work. In my view, Tony did not spend a lot of time thinking about what other CEOs said or did. Instead, he woke up every morning trying to be a better version of himself.
I particularly recall the day Tony hosted an all employee meeting, having slept out on the street the night before to raise money for Covenant House. At that meeting, Tony teared up telling employees about the struggle and resilience of homeless youth. And then he challenged us all to find a way to do more for our community and the people in need in our backyards.
After the meeting, Tony apologized to me for going off script. And asked if I thought he’d lost the audience by crying. I told him, quite sincerely, that I thought these were the moments when employees loved him most. Because he wasn’t just a CEO. He was a real person too.
Gratitude
I met Tony last week, just two days before his passing, and we spent most of our lunch discussing the concept of gratitude. He talked about how grateful he was for his wife Donna and his five wonderful children. He also spoke about the gift of good health and how thankful he was that he was well enough to travel, play tennis and chase his younger boys around Dave and Busters. He then went on to share something I hadn’t heard before, which was that he was grateful for the perspective that comes from age and adversity. And how the dark parts of life actually make the good days that much brighter.
As we paid the check and headed to the door, he shared a piece of advice. Which was rare for him. He asked me to make a list of ten things I was truly grateful for in my life and review it every morning. He promised this would influence all my interactions that day. And that in time, it would likely transform my outlook.
I haven’t created that list yet. But I’m going to do so tonight. For myself and my family. But also for Tony.
Love you boss,
Russell
Wink’s Note: We are saddened to hear about the passing of Tony Garcia. Our prayers are with his wife, Donna and their children.
Tony’s obituary can be found at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/aurora-on/anthony-garcia-7942487.
