Lunch With Jeb

I've been busy lately and I haven't had time to post about my lunch with Jeb Bush a couple of weeks ago. I was just as surprised as you that Jeb would want to hang out, but I guess we both have the Florida/Texan thing in common and he wanted to see how I'm adapting to the new state. Okay, not really, but it sounds cooler to say it that way. Actually I had the chance attend the Comerica Bank business forum and Jeb Bush was the speaker. He was a very engaging speaker, and not afraid to say things that could be considered controversial. I thought I'd share some of his points.

- Take a Risk. He said that in his time as governor of Florida, he never shied away from vetoing items that didn't make sense. His example was the alligator marketing fund. Jeb said, "We don't need to market 'em, we need to kill 'em." Basically, his point was that great things can't happen if you're not willing to go against the flow and take a risk.

-Ask the "Why not" question. When someone has a new idea about how to make things better, it's easy to dismiss because it's different. He suggests that any time new ideas come into play, ask "why shouldn't we do it?" It might be surprising what ends up getting changed.

-Have a BHAG. BHAG stands for 'Big Hairy Audacious Goal'. Some of his while he was in office included education, and energy security. BHAG's are goals that you can't achieve on your own. It will take many people working together.

-Stick with it. Focus on the long term, not the immediate.

-Listen before you communicate. He says in this complex world listening is becoming a lost art. Make it a point to hear what others are saying before you begin to speak.

-Integrity and Authenticity Matter. This one resonated with me. He said, "Say what you're going to do, and then do what you said." Seems pretty simple, but especially in politics it's been proven to not always happen.

I enjoyed my lunch with Jeb. I hope he calls again sometime.