With your career so intertwined with multitasking and thinking across all levels of the business and your customers, how do you unplug outside of working hours?
One of my favorite interactions was when Sam Zell, one of the best known real estate moguls in the world, was asked in an interview: “Sam, you’re 90 years old. When are you going to retire?” And he’s like, “What a terrible question. Why would I ever retire from my hobby?” I feel similarly fortunate to be in an amazing sector with great teammates, clients, and partners. My job itself is really fun, and doing social things with all these wonderful people is always a joy.
Beyond that, I’m a big mountain biker and snowboarder. Sometimes I’ll break out my surfboard and get on the waves (I learned how to surf on Lake Michigan, and contrary to popular belief, Lake Michigan does have waves, but they’re limited to October and after a storm).
I’m also a big reader. My office has as a very robust bookshelf full of business books, strategy books, and all kinds of things to do with the industry. But probably my favorite thing to do is read biographies and autobiographies of past figures—so history, biographies on business folks, and biographies on people who have revolutionized and changed the world.
