My one brat leaves University in a month’s time with (touch wood) a degree in Philosophy.
However, even though he has not yet graduated, he has somehow landed himself a London job in specialised recruitment, which he starts in July.
Soon after getting his letter of appointment, he did something pretty rare – he asked for my advice on how to make it big in the business world.
Thankfully management was not within earshot, otherwise even in Zululand you would have heard her hooting. For a start, when he decided to study philosophy (before that he was considering attempting a pro cricket career and I still think he may have made it), I could barely pronounce the word and still don’t know precisely what it means. In fact, who does?
Also, I strongly advised him against it, saying there was not a big demand for philosophy graduates in today’s market.
He proved me wrong with virtually his first job interview. Not to mention that he will be out-earning me in a few years’ time. So what do I know?
Anyway, back to his question: I replied that I was not a businessman, but had been in charge of newsrooms and other places of anarchy in my time. The value I prized most was work ethic. If you don’t have it, you’re not going anywhere.
To show what a hip old man I was, I recounted a story on Bill Wyman, the bass guitarist of the Rolling Stones in their early years. He was asked about groupies and he humbly (heh) replied that he had his share.
In fact, more than his fair share. In the ‘60s, the Stones were constantly besieged by screaming girls and hordes of obsessed fans would bang on the band’s doors after a concert. Of the five Stones, drummer Charlie Watts was happily married to Shirley while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were too busy writing hit songs in their hotel rooms to go for besotted totty.
That left Bill Wyman and lead guitarist Brian Jones to take one for the team, so to speak.
Today, Bill Wyman plays in a little-known band called the Rhythm Kings, which is a couple of notches above a pub group. Brian Jones drowned in a swimming pool, apparently after a drug overdose, at the age of 27.
Contrast that to mega-millionaires Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts who are still on tour and playing good music (although sadly not THAT good).
Okay, both Jagger and Richards are not exactly role models and both have been jailed for doing drugs. This was a bit of a flaw in my work ethic parable, as my son was quick to point out.
I hastily added that was 50 years ago. Today, Mick Jagger loves watching cricket and seldom misses a test at Lords, while Keith Richards owns an estate in Sussex and is a generous benefactor to the nearby village of West Wittering.
Charlie Watts is still married to Shirley. This year they celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary.
The point is this: Jagger and Richards are not among the most successful singer-songwriters in the world through blind luck or pure genius. They worked exceptionally hard at it despite every hedonistic distraction available.
To me, work ethic is everything. I would rather have a persistent journalist in my newsroom than an erratic genius. Perseverance trumps ‘brilliance’ every time.
Fortunately, this is not something I have to be concerned about with my brats. Both have worked long and hard every holiday while at university to get pocket money and unlike Jagger and Richards, they did not have glamour jobs. Their most recent one was mincing piles of meat at a butchery.
In today’s world of entitlement and complete abandonment of personal responsibility, where designer Nikes are considered a birthright and it is McDonald’s fault that you are fat, our kids never had the luxury of indulgent envy.
This was not something we planned – on the contrary! – it was just what it was at the time.
And perhaps unwittingly it is the best legacy we could have given them.