ERNIE'S INTEREST IN PEOPLE WAS COUPLED WITH A TALENT FOR ASSESSING THEM ACCURATELY. MANY OF US CAN TELL GOOD COIN FROM COUNTERFEIT BUT FEW OF US HAD ERNIE'S UNIQUE ABILITY TO APPRAISE AND TO DEVELOP AN INDIVIDUAL'S FULL POTENTIAL. ONE COMMON THREAD THAT RUNS THROUGH HIS MANY SUCCESSES WAS PUTTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACES IN AN ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE WHERE THEY COULD FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY. HE DID IT AT STANFORD'S GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, AT THE STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE, AT WELLS FARGO, AND AT SAGA. IN EACH CASE HE LEFT THE INSTITUTION STRONGER THAN HE FOUND IT AND HE LEFT IN PLACE PEOPLE WHO COULD AND DID TAKE IT ON TO GREATER GLORY. ANOTHER THING THAT SET ERNIE APART FROM THE CROWD WAS THE INSTANT RECOGNITION THAT CAME HIS WAY WITHOUT CONSCIOUS OR CONSPICUOUS EFFORT ON HIS PART. ONCE HE HAD STRUGGLED TO WORK HIS WAY THROUGH SEVEN YEARS AT STANFORD BY TAKING ON EVERY JOB HE COULD LAY HIS HANDS ON. HE NEVER HAD TO LOOK FOR ANOTHER JOB. ERNIE'S GREAT AND GOOD FRIEND JOHN GARDNER PROPERLY SAID THAT ERNIE WAS "ONE OF THE MOST GIFTED NATURAL LEADERS" THAT HE HAD EVER KNOWN AND JOHN HAS MINGLED WITH THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST. OPPORTUNITY LOOKED FOR ERNIE AND FOUND HIM READY TO RESPOND, WHETHER IT WAS A TOUGH PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED OR SOMEONE SEEKING TO UPGRADE THEIR ORGANIZATION WITH THE BEST PEOPLE THEY COULD FIND. 5.