The morning light illuminates Leon Panetta’s walnut farm in his beloved Carmel Valley, a place as unpretentious as the man himself. Fences here are a little bent, a little rusted and hardly the type that you associate with the words “Department of Defense.”

Yet, this walnut farm was home to Panetta whenever he could leave Washington, where he most recently served as Secretary of Defense and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

As he said in a 2012 interview with 60 Minutes, “I always thought it was important to get out of Washington . . . to come back home and kind of get your humanity back.”

Home Is a Walnut Farm

Leon Panetta’s accomplishments are well known. He has dedicated his life to public service, honoring his father’s view on the importance of giving back to the country that had given so much to his family.

From the perspective of his parents, who immigrated from Italy, the “so much” was the better life they found here for their children.

After selling their Monterey restaurant just after WWII, his parents bought the farm. The family planted the walnut trees themselves. Ever since, this place has been home to Mr. Panetta and later to his wife Sylvia and their three sons. As Mr. Panetta told 60 Minutes, “My body and soul are here.”

I understand why. Not only do I live a few blocks away in this beautiful valley, but having grown up in a family that made a living from pecans and walnuts, I know a little something about the draw of an orchard of nut trees.

On my walk yesterday past the Panetta farm, I began to suspect that this down-to-earth place might offer insight, too.

Finding Secrets of Success in Two Fields

Mr. Panetta graduated magna cum laude in political science, his chosen field along with law. Certainly, this was good preparation, but I believe another kind of field—the walnut farm—also holds secrets to his political success.

Why not? Where better to learn how to make it in Washington than on a nut farm? Just consider what a walnut farm can teach:

Across the seasons, you have to turn the soil, tend the trees, wait for the trees to leaf out and the fruit to grow.

From his work in the walnut orchard, Mr. Panetta must have learned not to expect immediate results. In addition to fortitude, it took patience to track Bin Laden, to rebuild the CIA, and to lead the Department of Defense in reducing war and increasing rights for men and women in our Armed Services.

Here in Carmel Valley, the cacophony of crows makes quite a stir. With so much cawing all at once, you have to learn to manage things if you want to hear the messages.

Sylvia Panetta adeptly ran the Congressional office here in Monterey during the 16 years that Leon Panetta was in Congress. Their commitment to listening must be why we, Panetta’s constituents, felt heard.

The tree branches on the walnut farm are a gnarly tangle in their winter season. Good thing Mr. Panetta had dealt with this before he got to Washington.

Maybe Mr. Panetta’s skill at pruning helped him know how to cut through debates between the branches of government, too. At Georgetown University, in his last speech before retirement, Panetta described how he and his peers untangled issues and avoided partisan dysfunction. (see video 18:42–24:56)

Gophers love to tunnel through the soil here in Carmel Valley, and—OH—they can multiply! When they’re about to get the best of your farm, good traps and a little laughter are in order.

Excellent at framing complex issues, Mr. Panetta also knows how to joke. Just a few weeks ago, when it took longer than expected to approve Chuck Hagel’s nomination as his successor, Panetta expressed his frustration this way: “I feel like it’s ‘Groundhog Day’ around here.”

The bottoms of the tree trunks on the Panetta farm show evidence of grafting, in which a cutting from one plant is inserted into the other. Grafting makes walnut trees sturdier and causes them to produce, years sooner, fruit of higher quality.

Like grafting, the propagation of good ideas in Washington depends on teamwork. Leon Panetta never lost sight of that. As a result, he earned trust in all quarters, receiving unanimous 100-0 approval of his nomination for Secretary of Defense.

Let’s recap—patience, listening well, untangling issues while keeping a sense of humor, and being on the American team. These are all good secrets of success. Oh, I see.

But there’s more to this Oh, I see moment—such secrets of success come naturally to a person like Mr. Panetta who lives his life wanting to do something rather than to be somebody.

New life is always sprouting. Mr. Panetta returns to The Panetta Institute of Public Policy, which he and Sylvia Panetta founded in 1997. He will moderate the acclaimed Lecture Series for 2013.

For more on Mr. Panetta’s life and values, see Julia Prodis Sulek’s article in the San Jose Mercury News.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

$\"The$

Morning light on Leon Panetta’s walnut farm
\u00a9 Robert Long<\/p><\/div>\n

Welcome Home, Mr. Panetta<\/b><\/h2>\n
The morning light illuminates Leon Panetta’s walnut farm in his beloved Carmel Valley, a place as unpretentious as the man himself. Fences here are a little bent, a little rusted and hardly the type that you associate with the words \u201cDepartment of Defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet, this walnut farm was home to Panetta whenever he could leave Washington, where he most recently served as Secretary of Defense and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.<\/p>\n
As he said in a 2012 interview<\/a> with 60 Minutes, \u201cI always thought it was important to get out of Washington . . . to come back home and kind of get your humanity back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Home Is a Walnut Farm<\/b><\/h4>\n $\"Leon$
Leon Panetta, a man with a smile<\/p><\/div>\n
Leon Panetta\u2019s accomplishments<\/a> are well known. He has dedicated his life to public service, honoring his father\u2019s view on the importance of giving back to the country that had given so much to his family.<\/p>\n
From the perspective of his parents, who immigrated from Italy, the \u201cso much\u201d was the better life they found here for their children.<\/p>\n
After selling their Monterey restaurant just after WWII, his parents bought the farm. The family planted the walnut trees themselves. Ever since, this place has been home to Mr. Panetta and later to his wife Sylvia and their three sons. As Mr. Panetta told 60 Minutes, \u201cMy body and soul are here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understand why. Not only do I live a few blocks away in this beautiful valley, but having grown up in a family that made a living from pecans and walnuts, I know a little something about the draw of an orchard of nut trees.<\/p>\n
On my walk yesterday past the Panetta farm, I began to suspect that this down-to-earth place might offer insight, too.<\/p>\n
Finding Secrets of Success in Two Fields<\/b><\/h4>\n
Mr. Panetta graduated magna cum laude in political science, his chosen field along with law. Certainly, this was good preparation, but I believe another kind of field\u2014the walnut farm\u2014also holds secrets to his political success.<\/p>\n
Why not? Where better to learn how to make it in Washington than on a nut farm?\u00a0Just consider what a walnut farm can teach:<\/p>\n
1. \u00a0 How to Be Patient<\/strong><\/p>\n
Across the seasons, you have to turn the soil, tend the trees, wait for the trees to leaf out and the fruit to grow.<\/p>\n
$\"Winter$
The Panetta farm with winter clover means it’s almost time to turn the soil.
\u00a9 Sheron Long<\/p><\/div>\n
From his work in the walnut orchard, Mr. Panetta must have learned not to expect immediate results. In addition to fortitude, it took patience to track Bin Laden, to rebuild the CIA, and to lead the Department of Defense in reducing war and increasing rights for men and women in our Armed Services.<\/p>\n
2. \u00a0 How to Listen<\/strong><\/p>\n
Here in Carmel Valley, the cacophony of crows makes quite a stir. With so much cawing all at once, you have to learn to manage things if you want to hear the messages.<\/p>\n
$\"Cawing$
Cawing crows create quite a stir.
\u00a9 iStockphoto\/Thinkstock<\/p><\/div>\n
Sylvia Panetta adeptly ran the Congressional office here in Monterey during the 16 years that Leon Panetta was in Congress. Their commitment to listening must be why we, Panetta\u2019s constituents, felt heard.<\/p>\n
3. \u00a0 How to Deal with a Tangle<\/strong><\/p>\n
The tree branches on the walnut farm are a gnarly tangle in their winter season. Good thing Mr. Panetta had dealt with this before he got to Washington.<\/p>\n
$\"A$
A tangle of walnut branches on the Panetta farm
\u00a9 Sheron Long<\/p><\/div>\n
Maybe Mr. Panetta\u2019s skill at pruning helped him know how to cut through debates between the branches of government, too. At Georgetown University, in his last speech<\/a> before retirement, Panetta described how he and his peers untangled issues and avoided partisan dysfunction. (see video 18:42–24:56)<\/p>\n
4. \u00a0 How to Keep a Sense of Humor<\/strong><\/p>\n
Gophers love to tunnel through the soil here in Carmel Valley, and—OH—they can multiply! When they\u2019re about to get the best of your farm, good traps and a little laughter are in order.<\/p>\n
$\"Gopher,$
Pests are everywhere, in Carmel Valley and DC.
\u00a9 iStockphoto\/Thinkstock<\/p><\/div>\n
Excellent at framing complex issues, Mr. Panetta also knows how to joke. Just a few weeks ago, when it took longer than expected to approve Chuck Hagel\u2019s nomination as his successor, Panetta expressed his frustration this way: \u201cI feel like it\u2019s \u2018Groundhog Day\u2019 around here.\u201d<\/p>\n
5. \u00a0 How to Work Together<\/strong><\/p>\n
The bottoms of the tree trunks on the Panetta farm show evidence of grafting, in which a cutting from one plant is inserted into the other. Grafting makes walnut trees sturdier and causes them to produce, years sooner, fruit of higher quality.<\/p>\n
$\"Walnut$
Two parts of different trees, joined through grafting, made this walnut tree strong.
\u00a9 Robert Long<\/p><\/div>\n
Like grafting, the propagation of good ideas in Washington depends on teamwork. Leon Panetta never lost sight of that. As a result, he earned trust in all quarters, receiving unanimous 100-0 approval of his nomination for Secretary of Defense.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s recap\u2014patience, listening well, untangling issues while keeping a sense of humor, and being on the American team. These are all good secrets of success. Oh, I see.<\/b><\/p>\n
But there\u2019s more to this Oh, I see moment<\/b>\u2014such secrets of success come naturally to a person like Mr. Panetta who lives his life wanting to do something rather than to be somebody.<\/p>\n
What will Mr. Panetta do next? Again, the walnut farm offers a clue:<\/p>\n
$\"Bud$
A bud on one of Panetta’s trees points to new beginnings.
\u00a9 Sheron Long<\/p><\/div>\n
New life is always sprouting.\u00a0 Mr. Panetta returns to The Panetta Institute of Public Policy, which he and Sylvia Panetta founded in 1997. He will moderate the acclaimed Lecture Series <\/a>for 2013.<\/p>\n
For more on Mr. Panetta\u2019s life and values,<\/a> see Julia Prodis Sulek’s article in the <\/i>San Jose <\/i>Mercury News.<\/p>\n
Comment<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>on this post below, or inspire insight with your own\u00a0OIC Moment\u00a0<\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[247,199],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-secretstolife-life","category-usa-mappoints"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6346"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40885,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6346\/revisions\/40885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Welcome Home, Mr. Panetta

Home Is a Walnut Farm

Finding Secrets of Success in Two Fields

Home Is a Walnut Farm<\/b><\/h4>\nLeon Panetta, a man with a smile<\/p><\/div>\n