One of the most powerful stories in Barry Kleiman's "The Playground Principles" isn't actually about what happened on the playground.

It's about the man who never set foot on it but shaped everything that happened there.

The Blue-Collar Foundation

Barry describes his father as a man who "never set foot on the blacktop" but "instilled the quiet, blue-collar examples of humility, effort, and always showing up."

This father, captured in a cherished family photograph with Barry and his brothers, became the foundation for everything Barry would later learn about authentic connection and character.

While other kids might have had fathers who coached their teams or showed up to games, Barry's father taught different lessons.

He demonstrated through his daily actions what it meant to:

• Show up consistently, not with fanfare, but with quiet reliability

• Work with humility, letting your actions speak louder than your words

• Give your best effort regardless of who was watching or what you might gain

The Playground Translation

When Barry arrived at the Philadelphia playgrounds of his youth, he carried these lessons with him.

But here's where the story gets interesting: the playground became the testing ground for his father's teachings.

On the blacktop, you couldn't fake humility.

The other kids would see right through it.

You couldn't coast on effort.

The game demanded everything you had.

You couldn't just show up when you felt like it.

Consistency was what earned you respect and a place in the next game.

The Life Lesson

Barry realized that his father had been teaching him playground principles before he ever stepped onto a playground.

The quiet, blue-collar values weren't separate from the competitive world of pickup basketball.

They were the foundation that made everything else possible.

The deeper lesson: The most important principles aren't taught through lectures or motivational speeches.

They're absorbed through daily example, through watching someone live their values consistently, even when no one is keeping score.

The Modern Application

In "The Playground Principles," Barry connects this story to modern leadership and business relationships.

He argues that in our world of curated social media personas and transactional networking, we've lost touch with these fundamental truths:

• Authenticity can't be performed. It has to be lived consistently

• Character is built in private and revealed under pressure

• The best leaders often aren't the loudest voices, but the most reliable presences

Barry's father never knew he was teaching "leadership principles" or "business strategies."

He was simply being himself, consistently, humbly, with effort.

But those daily examples created a foundation that would serve Barry throughout his 50-year career in executive search and beyond.

The Takeaway

Sometimes the most profound lessons come not from what people say, but from how they show up, day after day, when no one is watching.

Barry's father gave him something more valuable than playground skills.

He gave him the character foundation that would make those skills meaningful.

As Barry puts it in the book: "Connection is currency. Connection with self is oxygen."

His father taught him both how to connect authentically with others, and how to stay connected to the values that define who you are, regardless of the game you're playing.

On Thursday September 25th at 11:30 AM Pacific/2:30 PM Eastern, Barry Kleiman will be our guest speaker in the Mastermind Book Club.

Don't worry if you haven't read The Playground Principles.

Tom Ruwitch and I read it for you.

This is your chance to meet the author and join in our dynamic discussion.

>>> Grab your seat here​

See you soon.

Ted