After high school and after college, when you are in the “real” world working in a cubicle, or writing plays, or pounding the pavement in sales, or in grad school, or counting rhinos in the bush, or working on Wall Street, or starting your own business, or lobbying on Capitol Hill or whatever you find yourself doing you will discover that not everyone you meet has learned the values that you were taught and that you caught at Sandy Spring Friends School. I am referring to respect, acceptance, transparency, integrity and fair play. Let’s refer to all this as “Character” and recognize that among the things that happen at SSFS is that students develop a commitment to Character. In business, in your professional career, a commitment to Character is rocket fuel.
In January, I was asked to give a keynote address at the Stanford Business School Africa Conference. This is how I ended the talk:
Back in my old business, I used to say that we would rather do business with a smart, honest guy who shares our values even if he is working in a very difficult place then do a deal with a shady guy working in a pristine environment. In business, what really matters is the people. And in this regard, where ever I worked, I learned to treat them all the same, the same as I do my kids including my high school senior at home. Trust but verify. I happen to be a Quaker. Yes, I’m a pacifist. My hero is Martin Luther King. I am astonished that non-violent conflict resolution is not the first thing that we as a society and as a leading nation of the world try. I am making the point because for me personal integrity is my most precious asset. And I tell this to the people that I want to do business with right up front. I will not lie and I will not cheat them. Right up front. So they remember you said it. And then, throughout the relationship you will never ask of them something that you would not ask of yourself. I don’t know if it is the right thing to do or not but I put it out there so that there can be no mistake. And then, of course, you can’t make an exception just because it is convenient or even because no one will notice. I’m making a big deal about this because too many people will not do business in Africa because they think there will be corruption or that they won’t be able to trust people. I can tell you that most people in Africa that we do business with are as concerned about their reputations as I am about mine. So let’s not be embarrassed to talk about stuff like this.
What I am urging is that the best and brightest of the community of people who care deeply about Africa consider the enormous potential of the place and our individual and collective roles to re-brand Africa as the destination for sustainable investments made with patient capital by men and women who place their personal integrity ahead of mere financial gain. I don't claim to be able to articulate the exact manner in which we can stimulate job creation and technological innovation. Perhaps we will have to invent a new vocabulary. Or maybe all we need is to be willing to use the words we already know; words we already know to be sufficient should we choose to live them. Because when you do, they will resonate and good people will trust you and the gap between Africa and the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, China) that appears so significant today will, within a period of time that matters to you, disappear.