Page 116 - Cityview Jan-Feb 2017

114JANUARY FEBRUARY 2017memorize hundreds of them, Harris notes. “No one is good enough to be excellent at ve, six, seven things,” he says. “I haven’t seen that man.” One must concentrate on just a few. For Harris, they are being a good husband and dad, and working to his potential to help his business perform at the highest level. There is no time for anything else.Teaching and coaching don’t complete the picture, however. In2002, he “became a more dedicated Christian. That really changed things. I came to know Jesus in a more personal way.” A er that, he says that good decisions became great decisions. His faith has allowed him to give back tohis community. Over the years, they have given generously to charities and churches in the area and have kept their charitable commitments even when faced with the nancial challenge of opening their North Knoxville location during the recession of 2008. “I honestly believe we have been rewarded, blessed because of that,” he says.Though the intersection of an active faith and personal success has become important to Harris, he emphasizes that his employees don’t have to go to church. But still, he and his wife Robin speak about Christian principles while encouraging the members of their teamto be better fathers and husbands, better mothers and wives. Tim and Robin Harris still work daily in the showroom, performing the basic tasks necessary to make the business work. They o en work on the building and displays themselves. “It’s a way to stay grounded,” Harris says,” a way to “stay close to what you’re doing.”Two of his three children havecome to work at the business, buthis youngest wants to be a country music star and is starting to have some success. Harris even encouraged herto drop out of college if necessary to pursue her dream, telling her, “you can always go to college. That’s no special skill.” He wants his children to be happy. Happiness requires discipline, and discipline brings depth. He expounds upon this need for depth by recalling how he told his girls “not to text guys but talk on the phone. And by the way, you’re not hanging out. They can come here and present themselves at the door of this house. And I may open the door and say ‘nope, you’reat the wrong place, bye’.” Harris is emphatic about the need hear a voice or see a face to evaluate depth.For Harris, the lack of and need for depth extends to the American culture. “Everyone wants a silver bullet,the Reader’s Digest version of the Cli Notes,” he says. Recently, when speaking to a group of Crown College students,he told them he had both good and bad news. “The bad news rst: you’re partof the most entitled, lazy, over-sensitive generation in American history. The good news is you have less competition.” Harris fears that as a country we want to shortcut everything. We want that silver bullet. We don’t want to do the deep, hard, long work necessary for success in business, in life, in any worthy pursuit. “Today everything is shallow; success is miles deep.” But you won’t get deep quickly, Harris wants you to know. First, you might have to drive a crate of furniture parts to Atlanta.A former college professor, Keith Norris understands the need for discipline and depth in the next generation.