It was with great sadness that I learned of the recent passing of Jonathan Farrington, the creator of JF initiatives, editor of Top Sales World magazine, and, most importantly, a friend to the industry and to me.
Jonathan was a fearless and inspiring leader in the sales world, with an unwithering love of the profession, always pushing to learn and teach. He was a creator, an innovator, a crusader, and a gentleman.
In honor of his life and out of respect for his passing, I’d like to share six things I admired in Jonathan:
- His unwithering love of the profession, always pushing to learn and teach
His magazine, Top Sales World, became known for its endlessly valuable content that contributed to elevating the sales profession with every edition. Jonathan built an impressive network of thought leaders during his career and most were happy to contribute when asked to.
I published articles regularly in the magazine for some time, and always knew that Jonathan and his team would accept nothing less than my best, for the sake of the industry and readers. I owe him a debt of gratitude for providing such a platform to share my thoughts and ideas.
- His focus on providing value in each interaction and gentleman-like attention to honesty and integrity
In an industry largely known for dishonesty and manipulation, Jonathan was a shining example of what the sales industry can be at its best. His honesty and integrity was unfailing, and my every interaction with him was guided by gentlemanly principles.
I don’t think I ever came away from a conversation with him without learning something new or seeing some new insight I hadn’t considered before.
- His ability to start and carry on a conversation with ease and style
Jonathan was a man you could meet with no prior information and, in a matter of minutes, feel a strong rapport and trust. He knew the art of conversation, of how to set people at ease, and how to make you leave the conversation feeling like you’d had a great time. He also had a great sense of humor and managed to put a smile on my face at the end of each email exchange, which he usually ended with a witty note.
- His ability to “rally up the troops” around worthy causes and projects to provide value for many
Jonathan’s commitment to the world went beyond a simple desire to be a thought leader or to influence people. He genuinely cared about people and about the world, and he used his charisma and talents to “rally up the troops” on behalf of worthy causes, creating value in the projects that he started and benefiting everyone involved.
- His ability to see through shenanigans and silly business and see true innovation and value creation
Although he was a kind-hearted and generous man, Jonathan was no fool. I admire how he could see through the shenanigans constantly being thrown around in our industry, and he was never afraid to call it out.
Instead, he saw through to the true innovations that create value in our industry. It was my honor to know that he respected what we were doing at Membrain, and I learned a great deal from him that we have continued to apply in creating the best product we can.
- His steadfast friendliness and comradery even when the going got tough
Jonathan was not a man who was easily rattled. Even when things got tough, he stayed consistently warm and friendly. I never doubted his willingness to be a true partner and to have everyone’s best interests at heart, no matter what else was happening around him.
Until the memorial service last week, it felt unreal. I was almost expecting an email to come in to schedule a Skype call. But when they played Both Sides Now, I realized that Jonathan has moved on and we will not have any more Skype calls, which makes me very sad.
It is with a heavy heart that I wish Jonathan’s family and friends well as we all grieve this great loss. His departure is a loss to the industry but of course even more a loss to those who were close to him. May his memory be always a source of joy and comfort. He was a great man.
