Serve to Be Great: Leadership Lessons from a Prison, a Monastery, and a Boardroom

Chapter 8Grow by Empowering Others

Chris Hurn is the co-founder and CEO of Mercantile Capital Corporation in Orlando, Florida. In the spring of 2012, he had to travel to California for business and was unable to attend a vacation with his wife and two children. His family stayed at the Ritz-Carlton during their beach getaway. When they got home, they noticed that they couldn't find their son's stuffed giraffe, Joshie. The boy was very attached to the toy and became upset when he realized that he might not be able to sleep with his best buddy that night.

Chris told his son (hoping it was true) that “Joshie is fine” and that “He's just taking an extra-long vacation at the resort.” His son believed him, and was eventually able to fall asleep without it.

A little later that night, a representative from the Ritz-Carlton called to tell Chris and his wife that they found Joshie in the laundry and that he had been given to the hotel's Loss Prevention Team. Chris shared the story he had told his son with the staff and asked if they would be so kind as to get a picture of Joshie relaxing by the pool, which would make the story come true for his son. The team happily complied.

A couple days later, Chris received a package from the hotel. Inside was Joshie, along with a frisbee, football, and a couple of other toys branded with the Ritz-Carlton logo. The package also included a binder that detailed everything Joshie did during his extended stay at the hotel. There were photos of Joshie ...