As I was going through my daily reading routine, I stumbled upon a very interesting tale . An extremely inspiring and fascinating narrative of a young boy growing up in the midst of difficult times. Lets have a look.
The Great Depression
For Samuel Moore Walton, born in 1918 in Oklahoma, life as a kid was not easy. The Great Depression had set in and his parents moved from one place to another for several years before settling down in Columbia, Missouri. This was nothing unusual at that time. The Economic slowdown had resulted in massive unemployment across the globe and the USA was well in its grip too. It was the same story all around, but Sam ‘s story was a bit different .
Doing Odd Jobs
Making two ends meet was a challenge in those days and young Sam understood this very early in his life. He had to contribute in whatever way he could to help run the household. He was a very hardworking boy and alongwith his education at the David H. Hickman High School in Columbia, Sam did several other chores at a tender age. From milking the family cow and distributing excess milk, to delivering the Columbia Daily Tribune newspaper and to selling magazine subscriptions, Sam did it all and ensured that he helped his parents run the house.
The Seeds of Retailing
He was a boy scout at the Hickman School and a very good one at that. The challenges though did not seize. After passing from school, Sam Walton enrolled into the University of Missouri and continued doing odd jobs like waiting tables in exchange of meals. The challenges notwithstanding, Sam tried to do his best at whatever he attempted. As he grew, his ambitions grew too. He started working as a management trainee at J C Penny departmental store in Iowa, which is where the seeds of retailing were sowed in Sam’s mind. However, Sam Walton left JC Penny and joined the army in the World War II.
Walmart
Samuel Moore Walton served the Army and then post the War established one of the biggest retail chains in the world Walmart. Sam pioneered retailing in America with an unflinching customer focus. Bringing ease to the customer both in logistics and pricing was his brain child, which led to massive growth of Walmart. At one point of time the Walton family was the richest family in America.
Sam’s Success Mantra
The success of Sam Walton is what the world has seen, but what brought about this success is what we need to understand. Sam Walton once mentioned that early in his life he had imbibed a very important lesson; He wanted to be a giver rather than a taker, which actually fuelled his actions from a very young age. He always wanted to contribute and help out his parents. That selfless zeal in Sam made him stand out. His conscious streak in working hard and his determination to excel in whatever he did gave him exclusivity. His conviction and relentless focus on his work alongwith his ability to be a great team man led to his massive success.
The Most Versatile Boy
Sam Moore Walton passed way in 1992, leaving behind a great legacy built on years and years of hard labour. He had the ability to do many things at any given point of time and was most comfortable helping others . No wonder he was extremely likeable and when he left school, he was rightly rechristened the ‘ Most Versatile Boy’.
Sam Moore Walton, a remarkable legacy, a great leader, a true inspiration.
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