A Real Great Leader Is Gone

On March 6, 2010, Philip B. Price, President/CEO of Kirkhaven from its inception until his retirement in 1999, passed away following a series of illnesses and a final battle with cancer. He was 76.

I had the good fortune to be hired by Phil Price 27 years ago as a member of his initial leadership team called to help open and operate Kirkhaven. I was 27 at the time and it was my first real leadership position. Phil would later share with me that when the Chairman of the Board first met me, he said to Phil, "Are you sure about this guy, he’s awfully young?" Phil’s response was simply, "Don’t worry, I’m sure."

You see, Phil appreciated the value of a PhD, Masters or experienced-filled resume, but he also valued the potential he saw in one’s character. And he was masterful in mentoring and fostering one’s character development.

Lately, it seems, we are bombarded by accounts of leaders in government, business, sports and entertainment who fell from grace because of immoral, unethical or dishonest behavior. It leaves us wondering sometimes if there IS such a thing as a "real good leader".

Well, anyone who had the pleasure of working with Phil, knows that he was a great leader. Phil was the most kind-hearted, genuine, caring, servant of God’s good works, that I have ever known. He was my mentor and taught me through his own behavior and actions, lessons in character that you simply can’t learn from any text book or manual. There was no room for power politics, hidden agendas or lack of teamwork on Phil’s team, and he always, always led by example. Phil created a rich culture at Kirkhaven. A culture that will forever be a reflection and tribute to his amazing character and servant leadership.

I remember the evening he and I appeared before the Session of the Downtown United Presbyterian Church to formally request and address questions concerning a substantial bank loan guarantee to help bridge our current expense needs in the early months of our start-up. Our initial Medicare and Medicaid billings were being delayed, as they processed our start-up paperwork, and we were quickly running out of money to cover our payroll obligations. The Session peppered us with questions, but since we were only months into our operation, our only answers were often: "I'm not sure" or "We'll have to get back to you on that".

When we finally finished, I said to Phil in the parking lot: "There's no way they're going to approve that loan guarantee." Phil's response was, "It's in the hands of the lord now and we just have to have faith". It was close to midnight that same day when Phil called me knowing that I wouldn't be sleeping and would want to hear the final outcome. "They approved our request," Phil said and I believe my response was something like, "Holy sh....t, what the h...ll happened?" That was my first lesson from Phil on faith leadership and many more would follow.

I remember the annual budget meetings Phil and I would have in his office. He would sit patiently for over an hour as I shared with him my analytical calculations and strategies. I’m pretty sure he hated those meetings, but he never let on. In the early days, I would conclude my presentations by asking him, "So what do you think we should do?" But Phil would always answer my questions with questions of his own.

"What do you think we should do? Why do you feel that way? Are you comfortable with that decision?" By the time we were done, I had answered all my own questions, felt confident in my decisions and was ready to conquer the world. Now that’s leadership! The man was a gentle giant of a leader who always took great satisfaction in orchestrating the diverse talents of others to create harmonious results.

With his passing, sadly one of the real great leaders is gone, but he has left in all of us a piece of himself that lives on. If it is true that the measure of one’s worth over a lifetime is measured not by what you take with you, but by what you leave behind, then Phil enters heaven’s gate a very rich man.

Thank you for your gifts Phil and God bless you.