Shortly after I graduated high school, my father, Laird, came to my room for a rare father-son talk (No, not the “bird and bees” talk). He told me he had decided to quit his job and was instead going to invest himself fully in turning the fledgling small business he had been running into the family’s sole source of financial support. I found this to be a remarkably courageous act.

There was the time when I was eight or nine, vacationing at our extended family’s lakefront cottage in New Hampshire, when I unexpectedly stepped into a hole while playing in water up to my neck, lost my balance, choked on a mouthful of water, and flailing about, became unable to keep myself afloat. My father, in his customary way, was sitting in a chair on the beach reading a book, seemingly oblivious to the buzz of family activity all around him. But he sensed the danger immediately and dove headlong into the lake, fully clothed, and pulled me to safety. Despite the obvious personal benefit I received from this act, I rank it a distant second.

Laird Towle was in his late forties the day he had that talk with me, only a year or two older than I am now. He had enjoyed a distinguished 25+ year career as a physicist, working first in private industry, then for the government. In his most recent assignments, however, he was being asked to work on projects that conflicted with his moral compass. The resulting duress became such that, even with only a couple more years to work before earning a pension, he walked away.

Genealogy had been Laird’s hobby for many years. While studying our family’s lineage back to Scotland and England, he identified a need within the field and took the opportunity to start a specialized book publishing company. While he and my mother had been running this business part-time out of our home for a few years, now they were “betting the farm” on turning it into a successful enterprise.

I moved out of the house within the year. The business grew, slowly. My parents were able to make ends meet. As sales grew, my older sister joined the family business and, after a few years, I started working there as well, first part-time, then full. In the end, I gave five years of service before turning onto a new path that has led me to where I am today. My father sold the business a few years ago, but not before he had built it into one of the nation’s leading publishers within its field; having successfully transformed the business from its original direct mail-based sales model of the 1970’s and 80’s into a largely web-based model of the 2000’s.

Courage. Conviction. Perseverance. Sacrifice.

These are all lessons that have unfolded in various ways over the decades of my life. I can tie each to that fateful father-son talk. Courage to turn away from safety, security, and comfort; to pursue something that is right, not just convenient. Conviction to believe in oneself and one’s principles, not based on brash exuberance or conceit, but on prudent investigation and introspection. Perseverance in the face of adversity; remaining balanced in the face of turmoil and uncertainty; maintaining optimism no matter how great the challenges, and making the decisions and taking the actions necessary to bring about the sought outcome. Sacrifice of short-term reward and benefit in favor of a greater good, a whole life better lived. These are some of the lessons I’ve learned from my father; lessons that make each day something far more than just another day at the office; lessons that inform my world view, impact what I value, and significantly influence the reward I find in life.

By Glenn Towle, Partner & COO gtowle@merricktowle.com