by Stein Thorbeck
It’s probably unfair to name a single greatest leader I have worked for. But if someone held a gun to my head today and forced me to name someone, I would think about impact. I would tell them the name of a leader who changed the course of my life. Dustin is the name. Dustin, a 24-year-old manager at Best Buy.
Before my time in the Army, I was an almost pathologically-dedicated employee of Best Buy. The company is a big deal where I’m from in Minnesota, and many of us employees on the sales floor dreamed about one day making it to the corporate headquarters. I loved Best Buy so much that many used to joke that I “bled blue,” in reference to the blue shirts we wore.
On any given day, there were multiple managers overseeing the various functions of our store. However, only one of these managers was considered the “MOD,” or manager-on-duty. The MOD was overall responsible, and knowing who held the title for the day was important. I vividly recall clocking in before each shift and looking first to the MOD sign. For many of us at the time, the sign was like a fortune-teller capable of predicting happiness or misery. When the sign said Dustin’s name, I always knew it would be a good day.
Dustin did three things I will never forget.
He communicated to his people that he believed in them.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski once said that telling someone “I believe in you” is often the difference between a person’s fear of failure and their courage to try. I think the statement breathes life because it makes people feel important. Dustin would put his entire heart into those four words. But even more potent, perhaps, was the way he showed it.
One example was how Dustin handled certain sales transactions. I sometimes needed his signature to approve sales with price adjustments. If a customer was ever on the fence about a large purchase, a home theater system for example, I might have offered “encouragement” by throwing in free speaker cables. But to make that adjustment, I had to get the MOD’s approval. I would walk over to Dustin and begin explaining the situation. He would always say, “Stein I don’t need to hear the details. I just want to know, do you think what you are about to do is right for the customer, our store, and our company?” If I said “yes,” Dustin unflinchingly signed the required paperwork, asking no further questions. He would only say, “It really sounds like a great deal then. And I trust you.”
The confidence this inspired in us blue shirts had an impact far outside the sales floor. We came to believe – we were important.
He held people accountable with courage and love.
I used to really struggle to show up on time. When I was late, Dustin always showed courage by documenting my tardiness on paper and counseling me face-to-face. I know it was uncomfortable for him, but he did it anyway. I was once late three times within a 90-day period. Dustin sat me down and told me in no uncertain terms, “Stein, I really respect you. And if this happens again, I will also not hesitate to fire you. Your teammates must be able to depend on you the way I do. Worse, losing you would be a big loss for our store.” Dustin’s honesty and respect made me feel important even as I was on the cusp of losing my job. After I signed my counseling, Dustin shared a personal story with me about how he, too, used to struggle with time management. That moment was a turning point. I will never forget his courage that day and the love he showed me by trying to make me better. 21 years later, I struggle to think of a time I have been late since.
He cared about employees as human beings and citizens.
Here’s the big one. Dustin loved his company, but he loved his people much more. I was 19 years old and a strong candidate for promotion to department supervisor. Supervisors carried a high level of prestige and swagger in those days. Everyone on the sales floor knew who they were, and many wanted to be like them. The position came with an enormous increase in responsibility and pay, and I wanted it badly.
There was one issue: I never graduated from high school. I struggled tremendously as a teenager and desperately believed my job could provide deliverance. When I was 17, I dropped out of school completely. Dustin knew it and he didn’t like it. Now, at 19, I needed his support to become supervisor. He saw the moment as an opportunity. I won’t forget when he sat me down in our store’s furniture section and told me the exact opposite of what I wanted to hear. He looked into my eyes and said, “Stein, there is no official rule here that says we can’t have a supervisor without a high school diploma. In fact, you’d be a great supervisor and the store would be better for it. But so long as I am your manager, I will never let it happen. You need to go get your GED Stein. And when you do, come find me.”
I hated him for that.
I got my GED a year later. Dustin, the 24-year-old manager at Best Buy, helped alter the course of my life by communicating that he believed in me, by holding me accountable, and by caring enough to push me to achieve my best. I haven’t spoken to or seen Dustin in close to 20 years, yet when I think about what right looks like, he is always there.
Thank you, Dustin. I am grateful to have worked at Best Buy with you.
Stein Thorbeck is a 2023 Art of War Scholar and currently serves as an Operations Officer in the 82nd Airborne Division. Previously, he served as tactical officer and instructor of general psychology at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York. He has deployed to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Oman.
