What Would Bob Do?

(By Buzz Knight) As many of us grieve the loss of our dear pal Bob McCurdy, I started thinking about W W B D….What Would Bob Do? One of Bob’s many great traits that I was fortunate  to witness first hand in my time working with him at Beasley Media Group was his leadership skills. So in an effort to pay tribute to his tremendous legacy I give you WWBD in honor of Bob McCurdy.

1) Put your thoughts in writing and share with others for the greater good.
Prime motivation for me to write this piece. Bob is expecting it! Bob was so exuberant in his writing and he couldn’t wait to communicate it to others. Just like folks like Fred Jacobs and Steve Goldstein along with people like Mark Ramsey, Bob inspires me to put pen to paper and get the word out.

2) A thirst for learning
Bob had this incredibly infectious thirst for learning that was so wonderful to absorb. He was always passing a new insight on he found in the form of an article or blog that he thought would inspire us. Bob was not caught in the past!

3) Work Ethic/Discipline
I couldn’t believe how Bob worked during his battle with illness. He had incredible resilience at every bit of his core. Frequently, he would be right in the thick of an important company conversation, just as he was returning from a medical appointment. As Ed Ryan put it in his beautiful piece on Bob yesterday, Bob was like clockwork when it came to delivering on his weekly blog.

4) Industry Advocacy
Bob spent his career advocating the business he so loved. He wasn’t afraid to call out elements of the business that he felt needed to adjust but in the end, just like folks like Pierre Bouvard he championed the value of the industry. His work on behalf of the industry with Proctor and Gamble spoke for itself!

5) Fundamentals
Bob believed in his heart that greatness came down to execution. I’m sure that ethic pre-dated his basketball career, but there is no question his hoop excellence was where his leadership focus on fundamentals really was able to shine.

6) Quick Response
Bob understood the importance of a quick response to his co-workers, clients, competitors, you name it. The lack of quick response in today’s world was not even remotely in Bob’s core values.

7) Teamwork/camaraderie
Bob loved how teamwork was part of success. His belief in making all around him “raise the bar” to new levels along with his genial nature made him the perfect team-mate.

8) Shaking the status quo
Bob wasn’t afraid to shake the status quo if he knew that something wasn’t necessarily working. He never wanted to accept the notion of “we have always done it this way.”

9) Mentoring
Bob’s brilliant ability to have a steady and guiding hand for the next generation of sales leaders was amazing to watch.

10) An appreciation for past history
Just as Bob had a thirst for the new ideas and learnings he had a great respect for past history.

Please think of Bob McCurdy when all of you balance your leadership skills with your life skills. I can’t wait to read about HIS lasting legacies of leadership when the book he so proudly was working on gets released.

Buzz Knight is the CEO of Buzz Knight Media and can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]