MEeT LAwREnCE..

            Lawrence Delos Miles’s life exemplifies dedication and perseverance. With parents who are both connected with the academe, learning and discovering new things must have been inculcated in his mind. His parents might be very busy in their jobs and his independence might have developed his capacity to be creative and innovative.

His choice to become a teacher and principal let him shared his knowledge and experiences to his students. It symbolizes his willingness to impart himself through teaching. His experience as an assistant cashier and teller in a bank probably made him realize the importance or the value of money because I think learning through experience is more effective. Just like any new graduate, during that time maybe he was still gathering experiences and looking for a career where his passion can really be applied.

            When he became a Design Engineer of General Electric (GE), the twelve (12) patented designs on vacuum tube and related designs for just a period of six years showed his exceptional skills in inventing and in designing. If he hadn’t proven himself, I guess Mr. Winne and Mr. Du Chemin would not have trusted him and his ideas on the value analysis concept.

            His position as a Purchase Engineer in the same company helped him in formulating the “function approach” for GE to improve cost and productivity. He did his job, came up with a brighter idea, shared his newly found knowledge, put it into writing, and so, his efforts were properly acknowledged. Quoted from the movie, 3 Idiots, Mr. Miles didn’t run for success. He just did his best in his line of expertise and success did run after him. For me, it was not luck at all, but a fruit of his labour and commitment to change the perception of industry leaders towards value in business. The functional approach of value analysis might have also changed the attitudes of those trained and influenced by Mr. Miles. He became even more successful when he authored books on Value Analysis and Value Engineering. Not only did he learn from his experiences but he made use of those experiences in a right way.

             The numerous awards he received were concrete proofs that testified his credibility in the world of value engineering. One attitude I have observed in Mr. Miles is his selflessness in sharing what he knows about Value Engineering and its process. He was more than willing to spend time and accept all invitations he received. The gratitude of the several organizations was given back to him through acknowledgements and rewards. If it had not been because of his support, the value engineering societies might not have been organized and gave birth to another similar society having the same goals. To some people, he was like a long-awaited personality bringing hope with him as inscribed in his Brazilian Medal that his visit in Brazil was a value beyond any analysis.

His eighty-one (81) years of existence showing a fulfilled and happy life left a legacy for all willing individuals who want to put value analysis into practice. I might be one of them. Who knows? 

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