Myths and Mortals

Chapter 4The Strength of FailureRunning the obstacle course of success

It may have been his father's birthday, but Mike Hamra received all the attention.

On January 1, 2011, during the celebration of his 79th birthday, Sam Hamra of Hamra Enterprises publicly handed over leadership of his company to Mike. The media called it a surprise announcement.

But for Mike it was anticlimactic. Just a few years earlier, Mike says, “I woke up one morning and told myself that I was going to be in charge.” Mike walked into his father's office and announced, “Your right-hand guy… I'm going to fire him next week. And some of the people around him, they're off the bus, too. They aren't good for us, Dad.” And his dad agreed.

In retrospect, Mike realizes that pushing was perhaps the only way to succeed his father, who did not want let go of the company. “The business was his life, and he wanted to be in charge until the day he died.” The business helped his father manage meaning in this life.

“But when I came in to fire his number one guy, my dad knew that I was ready, and so was he. He realized, ‘Mike's got it. I can step away.’”

Although Sam did little to expedite his son's rise to the top of the company, he always hoped his son would take over. “My dad did not have a succession plan,” Mike says. “He gave me no clear pathway in the business that included a timeline. All he did early on was convince me not to follow my dream to be a jet fighter pilot. He pointed me in a different direction, changed ...