Cheryl’s grandfather was not so good with some of his
business practices, but he invented the machinery that made the world’s first fried
apple pie that is sold all over the world today. He had the first patent on the
fried pie (now baked!) in the early 1950s when a man named Ray Kroc (of McDonald’s
fame) came to him and asked him to manufacture a 3 oz. pie. Mr. Keathley
refused to do that and told Mr Kroc that if he wanted to buy pies from him that he
would have to buy his 4 oz. pie. Mr.
Keathley walked with the Lord all his life, and the Lord blessed him with
several successful businesses. He never finished high school, but he was a
brilliant man.
Cheryl’s father was also a very successful businessman in
the baking industry and later in life as an entrepreneur. He did finish high
school, and then he joined the army and served as an officer at the Nuremberg Trials
after World War II, and he had many great stories about the Nazi leaders who
were tried at the famous trials after the second Great War. Maurice was wounded
in the Korean War, and he retired from the military as a Lt. Colonel after
years of reserve service. He was a life-long Optimist and once served as Vice
President of Optimist International. During his entire successful business
career he served as a part-time Minister of Music in several churches in the
Memphis area.
Among these many very successful endeavors, I think that one
of his greatest achievements was that he was recognized by his peers as a very
intelligent man—even though he only had a high school education. He often walked
among very famous scientists, academicians and businessmen, and they would
usually come away from the conversation telling others what a bright man was
this Maurice Keathley.
Maurice had a secret weapon and it was actually three very
simple phrases. Whenever he was with someone who was much brighter than himself
or when he was with a person or persons and he did not understand the topic of
the conversation, here’s what he would do: he would listen closely and make
sure that his body language indicated a high level of interest, and he would
intersperse the conversation with these three short quips: “It could very well
be.” “Yes, indeed.” “Among other things.”
I have tried using these three small phrases, and it works. Now
you can easily over-use that “Yes, Indeed,” so you have to change your voice inflections and the way you say it so that you say it differently each time. Try
it and you will see that it works. People will think you are very smart. Why?
Because you agree with them!
