Country Club Living - Palm Beach North - February 2026

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 | C O U N T R Y C L U B L I V I N G - PA L M B E A C H N O R T H 1 5 O ne of my favorite leadership quotes is from Legendary UCLA Basketball coach John Wooden. He said, “It is what you learn after you know it all that counts.” He went on to say,” When you're through learning, you are through.” Continual learning and preparation are critical leadership disciplines to maintain. I have been blessed to learn this early on in my leadership career. Allow me to share the story. I was a young Sales Manager with Prudential Ins. Co. One of my responsibilities was training new reps and, on occasion, accompanying them on their appointments. In those days, we often made evening appointments. It was prior to the dual-income days ahead. Dad worked, Mom was home with the kids. Obviously, the best time for both mom and dad to be together to discuss financial and insurance matters was in the evening. Following an evening appointment with my trainee, he dropped me off at our office, where my car was parked. I left a file in the office and had to get to a meeting the next morning. I will never forget the time, it was 9:50 pm. As I entered the office and started down the hall to my office, I could hear the voice of Jack Barton speaking, and he appeared to be speaking to someone on the phone. Now, let me explain who Jack was. At the time, Prudential had approximately 2500 sales reps in the country. Jack was typically ranked in the top 5 annually. He just happened to be in our office in Buffalo. He was in his 60s, highly successful, of course, and at times, to me, appeared aloof. As a young Sales Manager, I rarely had an occasion to speak to him other than the occasional hello or a wave at meetings. I’m not sure he knew my name; he did, at one time, call me “kid”. Now back to the story. My office was on the other end of the hallway from his. As I approached his office, I stopped and did some eavesdropping. Who could he be speaking with at this hour? As I listened, it became apparent he wasn’t speaking with anyone on the phone - he was talking to himself. I started to wonder if that was the secret to his success—talk to yourself. He must have heard me outside, because suddenly his door opened and there he was staring at me. I’m not sure who was more startled, him or me. He said, “You working late, too, kid?” I told him where I had been, how we had a successful evening, and that I was on my way home. Now, here is where one of the greatest lessons I have learned began. He invited me into his office. My heart was going a mile a minute through my chest. I asked him who he was talking to. He said, “I am just rehearsing, I’m going on stage in two days and need to prepare and get my presentation perfect.” I wasn’t sure what on stage meant; I assumed he was making a speech. I noticed he had papers on his desk and a seat across from him. He explained that he was acting out his meeting with this prospect. “I anticipate his response, and I in turn respond. I answer his questions and or objections. I anticipate every possibility.” He said Frank Sinatra rehearses before a performance, so do I. My lesson continues. I then said, “Mr Barton, I would think by now, with all your success, you would have this down cold.” I was blown away by his response. He kind of smiled and said, “ Well, I keep doing this because I think I am making progress and getting better.” He went on to say, “Kid, never forget, true greatness is preceded by intentional preparation.” I thanked him, and I think I could have flown home. I just had a Masterclass on how to be great. At that time, I was 25 years old. To this day, the discipline of preparation is embedded in me. I intend to live it, preach it, and teach it. There is simply no substitute for lifelong learning. As Gandhi said, “LIVE LIKE YOU WILL DIE TOMORROW, LEARN LIKE YOU WILL LIVE FOREVER.” Bob Fashano is the founder of Lead One Consulting, LLC, an executive Coaching and Leadership Development Company located in Palm Beach Gardens. Bob Is a certified Executive Coach from the Center for Executive Coaching and a member of the International Coaching Federation. He is the author of a recently released book, "Make Today Your Masterpiece" and a new book to be released in the second quarter of 2025. He serves on the Keiser Flagship Advisory Counsel. COMMUNITY Be A Lifelong Learner - By Bob Fashano -