Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

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Feb 18 2024

Roger Penske and My Dad

As a youngster, my dad would serve as a firefighter for the races run at Michigan International Speedway.

Please click here to listen to the 2-minute audio version of this email.

M.I.S. was less than 10 miles from my house. My brother and I plus one lucky friend would look forward to the four or five races each summer we’d attend.

This was before the era of luxury boxes and suites, so we’d sit behind pit row with the racer and pit crew families. I got to meet a lot of cool people and collect my share of autographs.

One person I never got to meet was Roger Penske. He’s arguably the greatest race car owner in history as he’s had tremendous success in all forms of racing from Formula One to Indy to NASCAR.

However, when I was going to Michigan International Speedway Roger Penske was the track’s owner. Even though I never met him, my father did on a couple of occasions. He’d rave about Roger Penske and how kind and friendly he was.

I have no idea what Roger Penske was like then or is like today. However, what I do know is he made my dad feel special.

My dad wasn’t a sponsor, a race car driver, or a member of the Penske family. I’ve no idea if he even knew my dad’s name, but my dad enjoyed every interaction they had.

Years later, I would become a college basketball coach which meant Tabitha and I moved a lot. Every single one of those sevens moves we made had us loading up our precious belongings onto a Penske moving truck.

My dad was a believer in Roger Penske. Penske Trucking didn’t need our business, but we needed them. We needed someone trustworthy when we nervously drove a thousand miles to a new region, a new job, and new friends.

More times than not, how you do anything is how you do everything.

My dad believed that if the owner of the company made random everyday people feel special, then he probably did the same for people inside his business and this would lead to a better culture which led to better products and services.

Roger Penske wasn’t trying to make a customer out of my dad, but we did become loyal customers because of how he treated my dad.

It’s a good reminder to be genuine and sincere in our actions and to make others feel special.

 

Jamy Bechler is the author of five books including “The Captain” and “The Bus Trip”, host of the “Success is a Choice Podcast”, professional speaker, and trains organizations on creating championship cultures. He previously spent 20 years as a college basketball coach and administrator.  TheLeadershipPlaybook.com is Bechler’s online program that helps athletes become better teammates and more positive leaders while strengthening a team’s culture. As a certified John Maxwell leadership coach, Bechler has worked with businesses and teams, including the NBA. Follow him on Twitter at @CoachBechler. To connect with him via email or find out about his services, please contact speaking@CoachBechler.com. You can also subscribe to his insights on success and leadership by visiting JamyBechler.com/newsletter.

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Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Business, Leadership, Personal Growth, Sports · Tagged: Bechler Family, Beth Bechler, Cale Yarborough, Corey Bechler, customer service, Daytona 500, Do something, Everything Matters, Firefighter, Hillsdale College, Jamy Bechler, John Deere, MIS, Moving, Mr. Frank, NASCAR, Penske moving Trucks, Racecars, Roger Penske

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