“I want to share a story about honor that I have never shared before.”
When Daniel Lubetsky moved to the United States and started attending Lee High School in 1984, he admits, he wasn’t very studious.
But he found his way and is now worth billions after creating the KIND Bar, and a company that creates health snacks and positive change in our communities.
Lubetsky was recently inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame. He was introduced by his neighbor and fellow entrepreneur Kendra Scott. During his acceptance speech, Lubetsky recalled a story he had never shared before from his time at Lee that made a massive impact on his trajectory.
It happened in Carl Hansen’s U.S. History class during Daniel’s sophomore year at Lee. He was taking a make-up exam in the hallway. When he was finished, he decided to pull out his book and check a couple answers. That’s when Mr. Hansen walked out to check on Daniel.
“He was very gentle with me. He said, ‘Daniel this isn’t an open book test.’ And he gently closed the book put it away and said, ‘You don’t really need this, Daniel.’ He could have failed me that minute. He could have reprimanded me, but he decided to give me another chance.”
That was the moment Lubestky learned about honor. And it was another moment that taught him about the power of kindness.
Knowing he was going to tell that story, Lubetsky asked North East ISD for help. We helped him track down his former teacher. So, Hansen could join him for the Hall of Fame ceremony and hear that story when Lubetsky shared it for the first time. But there was a bigger reason Lubetsky wanted Mr. Hansen to be there. Lubetsky wanted to honor him.
“Think about the impact he had on the thousands of kids like me without realizing the extraordinary impact he had. Behind every amazing entrepreneur here tonight there is a teacher or teachers who helped make our success happen. Who will never know the important part they played in shaping them as a leader. Please make sure you reach out to the Mr. Hansen’s in your life to thank them.”
And it was with that, that Mr. Hansen was also honorarily inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame on behalf of all teachers.
“It was kind of overwhelming,” said Hansen. “I vaguely remember that incident. It was a minor thing in my life as a teacher, but he saw this and remembered this as an impact on his life because of integrity and honesty. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before. His honoring me at this point in my life is much more important, I feel, than what I did for him. A teacher never knows what impact they are going to have on a student.”
To all the teachers who make an impact, but don’t always get to see the final results, know that you are making a difference every day.
