He has exceptional skill in getting the best that is possible out of
his helpers. On one occasion he said:—
“We are very foolish people if we shut our ears and eyes to what other
people are doing. I often pick up things from strangers. As you go
along, pick up suggestions here and there, jot them down and send them
along. Even writing them down helps to concentrate your mind on that
part of the work. You need not be afraid of overstepping the mark and
stepping on somebody’s heels. The more we push each other, the better.”
This is another Wanamaker characteristic: he wants everyone associated
with him to “push.” Stagnation and death are very nearly synonymous
words in his vocabulary.
Out of it all stands a man who has been monumentally successful as a
merchant and in general business; a man who has helped his fellow-man
while helping himself.
The lesson of such a life should be precious to every young man. It
teaches the value of untiring effort, of economy, of common sense
applied to common business. It gives one more proof that no height of
success is, in this country, beyond the reasonable ambition of any
youth who desires to succeed.
I have no doubt that thousands on thousands of young men in the United
States are to-day better equipped in almost every way than was John
Wanamaker when he began business for himself in 1861. Very likely, not
one in a hundred of them will make a mark of any significance. The
fault will be their own,—they will not have the compelling force that
comes from “thinking, toiling, trying,” and the serene confidence that
_then_ comes from “trusting” a guiding power through every change of
circumstances.