The Sunday Pants Doctrine
What in the world are Sunday Pants?
Sunday Pants is a metaphor for how a child’s curiosity can evolve into a lifelong passion, and guiding principles that navigate our journey to be the change needed to make a difference in the lives and things that are important to us.
Well, where did it come from?
From boats, of course.
In the mid-1930s when Vernon and Buddy Davis (Sr.) were building their first successful race boat in Manteo, NC, the Pat II, there lived the Walker family. Sam Walker Sr. was a wildlife manager and superintendent of what is now known as the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. At the time, his son Bill Walker, was about ten years old.
Bill was always interested in putting models together and having a love of airplanes. (Understandably so, since barely 20 years earlier, the Wright brothers made the first sustained flight just a couple of miles away in Kill Devil Hills) On Sundays, when Vernon and Buddy were working on the boat, they noticed they had a new friend hanging around the shop eager to observe. One particular Sunday, they offered Bill the opportunity to help with whatever chores a young man his age could manage. Bill was forced to reply, "I would really like to, but I'm afraid I'm wearing my Sunday Pants." Just like that (accompanied by a healthy chuckle), a lifelong nickname and friendship were born.
From that time onward, Bill spent his spare hours hanging around the shop, doing odd chores, and learning design. He went on to become an Aerospace Engineer helping to usher in the jet age and the US space program. Bill was also an avid powerboater and successful hydroplane racer, named Sunday Pants, in the 1960s.
**Bill Walker's story is from Our Family, Its History, Their Boats by Lavern Davis Parker
The 10 Principles
1 - There’s enough pie for everyone
Focus on your job, do it very well, and help everyone - even the competition. We need help more often than we admit, and there’s enough pie to go around.
2 - It’s ALWAYS about the basics
Innovation and improvements are critical, but the fundamentals ALWAYS remain. Care about what you do, exceed customer expectations, be kind, deliver early, stay profitable, and take care of your people.
3 - You don’t have to be the best, but you must do your best
Someone’s always going to do something better. So what. You’ll feel much better about the day (and yourself) if you give it your all.
4 - Courage is easy when people are watching
Do the right thing when no one is looking. There are times when only bad options remain; that’s when real courage is needed. Make your decision and go. Don’t waste time second-guessing and block the noise from the sideline experts.
5 - Get comfortable with discomfort
No one becomes great by staying in their comfort zone. Failure facilitates humility and growth. It’s OK to fail as long as we try again, and again, and again until we get it right.
6 - Adversity exposes character before it builds it
Play by your own rules and be the person you think you are when times really suck.
7 - Put your finger away and look in the mirror
Don’t blame someone else, focus on what you can control, and find a way to help.
8 - We are not born equal. Sweet.
Embrace difference. It would be awful if we were all the same. Diversity and assorted skill sets are required for world-class teams. It’s never a one-person show.
9 - Great talent bears great responsibility
Spend a lot of time with your people. Give them the tools they need to succeed, and make sure they’re cross-trained. When a good leader gets hit by a bus, the team doesn’t skip a beat. The team is always bigger than you, and it’s up to you to make sure the next person up is ready.
10 - Success is NOT final
Success is like the rent. You’ve got to earn it, and it’s due on the first of the month - every month. Grind. Every. Day.