Page 152 - The Way to the Top

a guy whose advice and counsel I seek out every day. His name is Bernie
Feshbach and to me he’s been the lost and found of Wall Street. Bernie was

a World War II Purple Heart award winner who was wounded at Okinawa.
He grew up in the Bronx and after the war tried his hand at pig-farming,
oil wild-catting, selling used cars, selling women’s dresses, and working as
a stockbroker. He’s very well traveled and very well known throughout
financial circles; he always wears his bow tie and his designer suits; and

he knows all the maître d’s and concierges at the best restaurants and
hotels all over the world. But more important, he knows where all the
hidden closets are on Wall Street and where all the bodies are buried.

Bernie’s about to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of his fortieth birthday
later on this year and as such has experienced more market cycles than
anyone I know. Every deal I ever did with him or recommended by him
was a success.

But Bernie’s real value to me can’t be measured by the deals we did or

didn’t do. It’s my having the ability to pick his brain. Bernie’s never been
shy in voicing his opinions to me or of me, and his thoughts are incredibly
valuable. Everyone needs a truly independent sounding board, preferably
one that knows what he’s talking about and without a personal stake in the

outcome. Every business leader needs to find a Bernie Feshbach.

All of my experiences with my mentors have driven me to surround
myself with the most talented and goal-oriented people with the highest
integrity that I can find. I try to counsel them, advise them, teach them,
and be a role model for them, but not micromanage them. To quote the

person who most influenced the early years of my life, my mother, Edna
May Strodthoff, when describing how she raised her children: “I gave
them roots, and then I gave them wings.” Successful business leaders

should follow the same simple advice.

Copy successful people