He Knows His Priorities
by Eddie Goldberg
September 2010
Pragmatists are great! You almost always know where you stand. With Jeff Smith, pragmatism is darn near a religion. Doing something simply because that’s the way it’s been done would be as foreign to Smith as sushi to Jed Clampett. Quite frankly, there are very few things about Jeff Smith that are average, and in many ways, I find it hard not to be just a little envious.
For those "outside the fold" Smith is the originator of, and continues to be chief cook and bottle washer for his Website, SmittysNotes.com. Calling Smitty’s Notes a website is akin to referred to Fred Astaire a dancer or John Lennon a song writer. It is true, Smitty’s notes is a website, but if you ever want to know about what’s going on in Winston-Salem, Smitty’s is the best starting point.
"Back in ’97, a bunch of friends and myself would email every week discussing what we were going to do that weekend. That’s pretty much how it started," Smith said. As more people joined the group, the emails multiplied and the weekend events became legend, as did the emails.
Today, if you aren’t an element if the notes page, you hardly exist in Winston-Salem. The site looks as if it’s maintained by an army of engineers, each with their own section and heading. Nothing is farther from the truth. Smith does it all himself — in his spare time. He has a day job, something simple really — he is litigation paralegal for Syngenta. (Please don’t tell anyone it’s located in Greensboro.) He truly enjoys his work, loves his boss, and for the most part is about as comfortable in his own skin as any human I’ve had the pleasure to meet.
Smith background is about as humble as the man himself. He was born and raised in Winston-Salem. His mom was a librarian, and his dad was a teacher who later became a videographer. He received a degree in Public Administration from Elon. As you speak with Smith, you sense the intelligence, but it goes beyond simply knowing a lot of things. I guess you could say he’s smart enough to know he doesn’t have to act smart.
He says he loves to solve problems and create order out of chaos. He will see the chaos, and the pieces will begin to fall into place. Much like John Nash in the movie, A Beautiful Mind, only a lot less creepy.
He claims the Democratic Party as his own, but sees and is concerned about the polarized nature of politics. "Nothing seems to get done, and so much needs to be."
You would think that finding that you have Multiple Sclerosis would be a MAJOR jolt in your life, and I suppose, behind the façade of tranquility, there might be some anger or resentment. If so, it’s hidden quite well.
It’s been less than a year since Smith learned that this debilitating sickness would dominate his life, but like most things, he seemed to have taken that in stride. When asked about the process of digesting the whole thing, he says, "I gave myself a month to ponder, think, and maybe feel a little sorry for myself, but that was about it. I have things to do."
It’s just that simple really. No need to dwell. No need to ponder. If you need to accomplish something and you run into obstacles, you simply figure out a way to deal with them.
You can’t really discuss Smith without also bringing up his "Evening with Eight." This is Smith’s concept, and the premise is simple yet unique. "Smitty" decides who would be most interesting to speak before a group of about 40 people. Anyone is invited to submit their name for attendance, but Smith decides who comes and where they sit. He reminds me of the teacher that makes you sit at the front of the class.
His choices for speakers are eclectic and impressive. The only way to categorize them is to say they all have all made great strides in heir own lives, and their presentation is of value to others. He’s had city managers, religious leaders, corporate titans, vintners, music directors, philanthropists, auto dealers, publishers, mayors, scientists, singers, meteorologists and several varied executives from Krispy Kreme.
"It started out as a singles thing, but just grew from there," Smith said. "I maintain contact with many of my past guests, and several have even gotten married." Smith maintains that while the speakers are of great interest, and a great deal of thought is put into invitees, he said the greatest learning happens at the table. "Deciding who sits together is my job, and that can often be the highlight. The rest is simply about enjoying a great meal and enjoying the company."
I brought up what I thought would be a real hot button for Smith — social marketing, Face book, Twitter, et al. I was surprised to find they are not a significant part of his daily routine. It all came full circle when he explained why. "There’s just not the time. There are so many things to do." That’s when it hit me.
Smith is one of those guys that say, "If it’s worth doing. It’s worth doing well." I guess if he didn’t think he could make Smitty’s Notes the best it could be, he wouldn’t have bothered in the first place. There seems to be, to paraphrase Ty Webb, "a subtle reasoning for everything he does."
You can certainly count on this, however. Whatever his next move, it will be because it makes sense, it feels good, and it will be done right. How could anyone go wrong with a philosophy like that?