"In the VIP lounge near the private jet, the lawyer and I waited for the announcement the flight is ready. He answered several of my questions while we waited, one of which was about my sisters. He answered saying we will all meet on the island later today.
"Once we were onboard the private, luxury jet, we departed shortly after and headed toward the island. The lawyer gave me a tour and even though I didn't really care about the jet, I was impressed with it."
"I was withdrawn. I was alone, maybe even scared. I did not trust anyone. The lawyer, Mr Alden, was a stranger to me and we were the only passengers on the private jet. At this point, I was in a daze. I already started smoking again, something I gave up a couple years prior, but it did not take long for me to start again. I was still tired as well. I was not in good shape. Mr Alden kept my attention and we talked, mostly about my future and what I might expect."
"As he was talking to me, I fell asleep. I could no longer keep my eyes open. I had all I could take for one weekend."
"Before I go any further, I want you to understand something. When I boarded that private, luxury jet, I did not feel like an owner of a huge business empire. I did not feel like a billionaire. I did not feel like a boss, or a leader. I did not feel like a businessman, nor did I feel like myself."
"But, most of all, I did not feel like a brother. I still felt like a pee-on at work. I was dazed and alone at best. All I knew when I boarded the private jet was, I had to meet my sisters and make a decision about my future."
Several sighs came from the group as his level of stress is realized by them.
"I was awakened by Mr Alden about an hour before we landed near the island and I opted to take the helicopter to the private island. When we landed on the private island, we went to the pier and waited about an hour for my sisters to arrive. Mr Alden stayed with me to keep me company.
Stacy and Peggy are tearing up as Brad continues with the story. They also are re-living that experience all over again. Anita and Jeni are listening and reacting to what they went through. Rick just listens with his head bowed. Kristi is showing tears and keeps dabbing them away with a tissue. Several others in the room are tearing as well. Kristi passes out tissues to most of the team.
"A little while later, it seemed to me, my sisters arrived and I was scared to death to meet them. I never had a sister and had no idea what to say to them, what to do, what to feel or how to act. They were total strangers to me. I searched within myself for answers, but had none. I learned later my sisters experienced the same emotions and concerns I did. I was so wrapped up in myself I was not thinking about anybody else, or anything else. I was all about poor Brad. I continued to freak out about meeting them. It was a very awkward moment for all of us, more so for me."
"When I met my sisters, I did not know how to react when I first saw them. My initial observation was, I have two very beautiful sisters. So, not knowing what to do, I simply did what I do best -- make a fool of myself. They, unlike myself, arrived on the island by boat. After shaking their hands as they got off, I took a wrong step and fell backward into the ocean, just missing the boat that brought us to the island. I was so embarrassed I felt like a total fool."
More giggles break out.
"That was my sisters' first impression of me. I was assisted back on the pier and, as I stood in front of everybody dripping wet and embarrassed beyond belief, I made another blunder. I shook the water out of my ears and got everyone else wet in the process. Remember, my hair was pretty long back then. I was so embarrassed I felt like crawling into a hole and die," Brad said and a smile appears on his face.
Brad laughs at his own embarrassment, but feels sorrow for his predicament. So did everyone else.
"One by one, they slowly began giggling, then laughing at me. Eventually, I laughed with them."
"I was so embarrassed I did not want to see anybody ever again, but I got over it, primarily because I had no choice. I wish I had more time to deal with it though, but it taught me a very important lesson early on in my new life. I learned, even if you are a billionaire, you don't always get what you want," Brad said.
The group laughs at his story and applauds his survival.
"I did not think it was funny at the time, but some of it sounds pretty funny now that I tell it."
His sisters nod and agrees with the story, smiling with him as tears run down their cheeks. The group understands his embarrassment and gave him some slack.
"The biggest mistake I made, we all made actually, was we did not hug each other when we first met. I will never forgive myself for not doing that because I believe it caused more problems between us down the road. None of us said to each other what we were truly feeling."
His sisters get up, moves to either side of him and hugs him as he stops talking. A short pause in the story results, then Brad continues as he continues to hug his sisters.
"Even though I did not know them at all, they are my sisters and I should have told them I love them. But I didn't...."
"Things are different now and they know how I feel and I know how they feel. They are my left and right arms for life, along with some other people that are here with us."
"That's what I was facing, same for my sisters. Now, how did we deal with it?.... Not very well at first."
"The first two days on the island was spent in one class after another, learning details about the Packard Empire mostly, and about being billionaires, about security and about the media. Kristi was also involved in my education. When not in classes, she instructed me on the Packard Empire business world. My sisters and I had very little time to spend with each other outside of the classes."
"As it turned out, getting acquainted as adults was not an easy chore, but we managed, somehow. It was a long process of mistake after mistake. But, once we began talking to each other on a personal level, things began to change for the better and we became a family that never before existed."
"If you are thinking our lives have changed as a result of this, you just might be right. But, you have no clue what we went through to get where we are right now. What I just told you is an over simplification of that process. I left out many of the details we faced and overcame to be where we are today."
"To this day, I still do not feel like a billionaire. I'm not sure I want to embrace that, but I am beginning to feel more like a leader and even that is a tough pill to swallow."
"For many people, money is power. I believe money makes you more of what you already are and sometimes, that's an even bigger pill to swallow."
"You all know I spent some time immersed in office politics. My experience was not as good as I expected it to be. When we, my sisters and I, realized we can make the rules, it had a major impact on me and us. I learned we can have a major impact on how our employees feel about the company they work for. That brightened up my day like you can't believe."
"The good news is, things are different now. Today, we are so proud to have the support of each other and that of the Packard team. As we stand before you, the leaders of a multi-billion dollar corporation, we no longer have any pressure on us," he said rolling his eyes and smiles.
The Packard Team breaks out laughing as Brad hugs his sisters again. The room is filled with laughter, then slowly give Brad, Stacy and Peggy a standing ovation as they embrace each other very tight. Their staff also joins the hug.... Finally, they collect themselves and continue the meeting as several people in the group clear their tears. His sisters remain with him, but the staff returns to their seats.
"I've never told that story to anyone, not even my sisters.... This is the heart of what a family, and a team, is all about. Personal and professional relationships. If you have not learned that yet, you will understand it in time."
"I struggled for several weeks building my team, primarily because I really did not know what I was doing. I just followed my gut. I set a goal from a desire, then created a plan, executed it, built the team and here we are today as one happy family. I struggled in many areas, but I worked through them, one at a time. As a result, I am a happy Brad. If you are not happy with yourself, you will likely have a tough life."
