Lessons from My Father at the Dinner Table

When I was a kid my father loved telling my brother and I a story at the dinner table. Whenever he'd see us add a little salt or pepper to our meal as soon as the plate was placed before us he'd smile before sharing one of his favorite anecdotes.

"Did I ever tell you story of when Henry Ford had to decide between two equally qualified applicants?" he'd ask. We'd nod and my dad would continue. "One night he took them out to an expensive steak dinner to get to know each of them a little better. He wanted to know what made them tick. 

As the story goes, when each of them received their steaks he watched them closely to see what they'd do next. The first man put pepper on his steak then tasted it, while the second gentlemen tried the food first then added pepper. Do you know which one he hired?" he loved to ask. "The guy who tried his food first," I'd say. My dad would smile before saying, "That's right."

Over the years I've certainly been guilty of adding a condiment or two before taking a bite, but the broader lesson my dad was trying to impart, now twenty plus years later, has stuck: never assume you know something until you try.