Jeffrey W. Comment Former President and CEO of Healdsburg Diamond
[Exclusive interviews with leaders]
Translated by Mo Zhuoyijuan Xiurun/Weng Jingyu
“The way we live and do business determines our future success and failure—that’s absolutely true.” This important mission will inspire people and rebuild the integrity and morals that have built America’s history.
~Excerpted from "Mall Mission" by Kang Jiefu
Since I was a child, my parents encouraged me to attend church. Our family is not the kind of family with a strong faith. Although we did not have a strong spiritual foundation when we were growing up, I still want to thank my parents because they understand the importance of the church; observing the Lord’s Day is enough to cultivate spiritual discipline, and it also made me initially Access to the gospel and the Bible.
Q: When did you start taking your faith seriously?
About the time I finished college and had lived a life of dissoluteness and done all the things I shouldn't have done. The year after graduating from college, his first job was in retail at Maas Brothers in Tampa, Florida, in 1967.
Two years later, I vaguely felt that something was missing, so I began to search for it. A Navy chaplain introduced me to the gospel and made me truly understand that Jesus Christ loves me and that there are many things in life that are more important than making today’s deal.
Q: How do you translate your personal beliefs into a business philosophy?
Whether doing business or dealing with family and friends, everything is related to faith. Since I was born again and saved in 1969, I have been learning to enhance my relationship with the Lord. Over the past thirty years, I have learned many lessons—leading people, teaching people, training people, commanding people, and managing various organizations. Basically, I strive to follow the teachings of the Bible and apply them to every leadership opportunity. I hope to act in accordance with biblical principles and character.
I would rather practice than talk, just like the old saying: "Teaching by example is better than speaking." I have been at Healdsburg Diamond for 12 years, and almost no one in the company knows that I am a Christian. Even if they don’t say it with their mouths, everyone highly agrees with Christianity and biblical values.
This is reflected in our character, maintaining reputation, serving customers, establishing branches, treating manufacturers well, and permeates into the corporate culture. This is the main reason why Heizburg Diamonds is very successful.
Q: Have you ever adopted a completely different attitude for your faith?
I think character is the touchstone for judging the authenticity of faith. It is not difficult to be a leader in smooth times, but when the economy is in recession, tests arise, especially in the jewelry industry. When the economy is in a downturn, manufacturers, customers and subordinates are all eager to follow good leaders.
As time goes by, people always want to associate with virtuous people. Choosing between dilemmas can reveal honesty and integrity, quickly distinguishing between those who are all talk but no action and those who are consistent in their words and deeds. This is what I call "the underlying business ethics of Christians" and the company calls it "the life character of Heizburg Diamonds". However, my inspiration comes from the Bible and my example comes from Jesus Christ. This is the biggest difference.
I just had a phone call with a supplier before the interview. After the conversation, he said, "You know what? One thing that Tom and I really appreciate about you is that you always treat people with sincerity. You tell us exactly what you need and what time it takes." As for the delivery method, I can rest assured that it will be delivered because you stick to your word, which is not the case with other retailers.”
So, faith helps.
▲Conjef realized from the Bible that the Lord Jesus is the highest example of leadership and management.
Q: So, your faith really laid the foundation for your business?
certainly. Recently, the senior pastor of the church invited me: "Can you preach a sermon on Sunday?" That meant preaching three times in a row, but I still agreed.
I do a lot of public speaking, usually out of town. I was always energetic and loved interacting with the audience, but at that time I had no record of giving three lectures in a row, and in the same morning! I almost collapsed after speaking that day, and my wife, Martha, almost pushed me to the parking lot in a wheelchair.
The pastor said, "The content is up to you, as long as it is helpful to Christians in shopping malls." In the end, I decided to talk about "leadership." I used the seven leadership qualities displayed by Jesus when he led the eleven apostles as the main axis. Today, none of the top 500 companies in the United States (Fortune 500 companies) can make such a huge change in the world as this small group of people!
After each of those three sermons, someone came up to talk to me. They all responded to the same thing, which is: "You really live out your beliefs in the mall!"
I replied, "That's exactly what God wants. We are His blessed children. He not only wants us to share the blessings with others, but also wants us to live it out in the mall." Looking at the Bible, you will find that the Lord Jesus is really the one. Outstanding. Even if people don't know it, many careers are based on strong beliefs.
Heizburg Diamond is a subsidiary business of others, and the big boss is investment guru Warren. Buffett. Nine years ago I wrote the short book "Mall Mission", although I didn't know Warren. What did Buffett believe in? He still gave him a copy and said, "I must give it to you personally to prevent you from getting it from others." He didn't say anything. When discussing official matters a month or two later, he actually quoted sentences from the book, which shows that he had really read it.
Q: Has such a clear-cut belief and value system ever made you embarrassed?
When I was president of John Wanamaker in Philadelphia, toward the end of my tenure, a great event happened. At that time, the operations of the parent company Carter, Hawlwy, and Hale (Carter, Hawlwy, and Hale) were in jeopardy and their capital turnover was poor, so they notified the retailers to postpone the payment of the payables including interest from 30 days to 60 days.
I emphasize that suppliers are valuable partners of the company and should not be treated like this; after suppliers receive orders, they also need money for turnover just like us. When I refused to comply, the finance director threatened to fire me.
When I went home and told my wife in the evening, Martha only asked: "Is the deposit enough?" I said, "It seems it is enough, so don't worry about it. At least I know it is the right thing to do."
The accounting department heard about this and agreed with my position. Finally, the president and CEO of the parent company met and decided to let us go. As far as I know, the other subsidiaries are doing what they're told.
Afterward, they said, "You lack team spirit. When we eliminate John Wang Company, we will not transfer you to other positions in the company." I knew that I would be unemployed soon, and I still remember saying to Martha, "Sometimes, life is unfair Yes, I did the right thing and ended up losing my job.” However, we know that this is what God wants; we have to do the right thing even though it may not be pleasing to us at times.
Unexpectedly, six months later, I would be sitting in Healdsburg Diamond Company, a promising company with a capital under management of US$100 million. Although this opportunity doesn't happen often, I still say to people when I meet them: "Don't care about the outcome, what matters is, always do the right thing."
Ten years ago, Healdsburg formulated a mission statement and announced its implementation. Everyone took pride in it and followed it; I had to fire some good people who went against the grain, but in the long run the company became healthier.
Q: Does the mission statement ever mention anything about faith?
No. Healdsburg Diamond is a stock-listed company with employees of different races. As I said before, I rarely talk about my faith, but all the more than 3,000 employees in the company know that I am a Christian (this is no exaggeration); when I go to the branches to inspect, people often ask me about it—faith is not something I just talk about. mantra.
Q: What advice would you give to young Christian men and women who are planning to go into business, or to business people in the 21st century?
Life is a series of balances. First of all, doing business should bear full responsibility to shareholders. We have responsibilities to the parent company and shareholders; we must continue to improve the company's productivity and achieve a better return on investment. No matter what position you are in, whether you are a cashier or president, you must have a positive impact. When you walk in the door in the morning, don't let anyone doubt your performance and give it your all. God calls us to be the best actors we can be and to bear witness to His goodness. Don't let yourself sink.
Second, God wants us to find a balance between responsibility and character. Doing both is pretty amazing because you don't become a hard, callous, cold businessman. Sharing the gospel more often and showing mercy to others is like giving out the fragrance of Christ, and others will naturally like to follow you.
Too much is not enough: Some people focus too much on productivity, but become ruthless and intimidated by others; some people are too soft-hearted, enthusiastic, and unfocused, resulting in insufficient productivity. So "find balance" is my advice to young Christian men and women, even at my age, it's not too late.
*Taken from the book Corporate Giants: Personal Stories of Faith and Finance, by Bob Darden, Robert Darden, and PJ Richardson, published by FH Revell, 2002. The Chinese version will be published by Flying Eagle Press in the near future. Published with permission.
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Missed Santa Claus Conjeve dies at 60
Compiled by Weng Jingyu
[November 1, 2004] Conjeff, president and CEO of Heizburg Diamond, a Santa Claus who faithfully brought joy to hospital children, died yesterday at the age of 60. According to the Kansas Business Monthly, Conjeff died suddenly at a private party at the Starlight Theater in Kansas City while he was planning the 10th annual Santa Claus visit to hospital children.
"I saw him last Thursday! He was still wearing a suit and his eyes were bright." Pat., current president of the Greater Kansas Chamber of Commerce. Pete Levi was shocked. He described Conjef as a person who was "always full of energy, enthusiasm, endless ideas and high spirits."
Conjef is well known in the corporate world as the person who helped propel Heizburg diamonds to international brand prominence. Since he took over, he has been responsible for organizing the two-week Healdsburg Diamond Christmas Party every Christmas, playing the role of Santa Claus and visiting the entire Kansas City. Once, when a group of abused children who were invited to the meeting talked about their sad past, Conjef burst into tears. Later, the marketing department suggested that Conjef extend this service to all branches as a way to give back to the community.
At first, Healdsburg diamond owner Warren. Buffett once questioned whether Conjef should leave his post to serve without permission during the Christmas season when profits were less than 20%. However, Conjef bravely communicated his ideas. He once said that if this was not the case, he would rather give up his high position.
Warren． Buffett was moved and turned to support Santa's visit service, which led to the courageous book "Santa's Gift: True Stories of Courage, Humor, Hope and Love" (tentative translation of the title). A beautiful children's picture book of , humor, love and peace. The book contains touching life stories of sick children during the tour, and all royalties will be donated by Amazon Online Bookstore to Elizabeth. Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
In 1987, Heizburg Diamond's website described it this way, "Under the leadership of President Conjef, the chain has grown by leaps and bounds." Especially during the economic downturn in the 1990s, it was he who made Heizburg Diamonds suddenly emerge and successfully break through through online mail order.
※This article is excerpted fromhttp://www.professionaljeweler.com/archives/news/2004/110104story2.html
A mighty and unyielding life leader
Diamonds may be a woman's best friend, but Conjef is diamond's confidant. Conjef led the Helzberg Diamonds chain very effectively. In the jewelry industry, Helzberg Diamonds is one of the most well-known and widely loved brands.
Helzberg Diamonds, which has been passed down for three generations, was founded in 1915 by his grandfather Morris Helzberg. In 1995, investment guru Warren. Warren E. Buffett bought the company. In 1988, Conjef was fired for insisting on doing the right thing. Unexpectedly, six months later, he was personally selected by the Healdsburg family as his successor! Today, Helzberg Diamonds has more than 270 branches across the United States, with annual sales of nearly $500 million (http://www.helzberg.com/).
Conjef is a popular speaker on topics ranging from faith, business and politics.
He is the author of Mission in the Marketplace and has served as:
． Chairman of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce;
． President of Heart of the America United Way;
． Chairman of the National Board of Young Life.