Page 35 - Harvard Business Review, November-December 2018

When I missed a game or a play, it was agony, because those things make a big difference to

children. But I worked very hard at getting home, particularly during the period after my first

wife and I divorced. For 18 years I never spent a weekend in Washington, DC. And sometimes I
would fly back and forth during the week to be there for an event. I relished time with the kids,

but it was always complicated, because when you’re in public life, you could always be

somewhere else on any given day. So you have to learn to say, “No, I’m not doing that” or “That’s

not as important as I think it is.” I’ve been very blessed to have an extremely supportive biological

and blended family.

What career advice would you give people who come from a less privileged background than

yours?

Well, let me correct one thing. Yes, I came from a very defined kind of privilege. We didn’t have to

worry about where the next meal would come from. But we were not rich. We lived within a

budget, and there were times when it was paycheck to paycheck, like a lot of people. I did briefly

practice law and made some money then. But I spent very little time in the private sector. Now,

obviously, my wife, Theresa, is very well off, but that’s her. I remain sensitive to how hard it is for

some people to make ends meet. As for career advice, I think public life has changed—you can go
in and out in ways that you couldn’t previously. So maybe you go into business for five or 10 years

and make a certain amount of money so that you’ve got a cushion for your kids’ school or any

difficulties that might arise, and you stay engaged in the civic community. Then, when you feel

ready, you run for Congress.

Given the dysfunction you currently see in our government, what role do you think business plays

in society? Can people have long corporate careers and make a difference that way instead?

Without question. In fact, it’s an underrecognized avenue. I know fabulous corporate citizens at

the high level of CEO or chairman and all the way down through the ranks. And increasingly

corporations are exercising responsibility that makes up for the deficits of government—in part

because the private sector is not a democracy, so it moves faster and has better channels for

decision making. The CEO can say, “This is what we’re doing,” and he or she rises or falls on that
decision. It may affect the stock price or a retirement plan, but if it works out right, it makes an

enormous difference for children, schools, infrastructure.

Over the years, you’ve assembled and managed many teams: campaign teams, your Senate ofce,
your State Department staff. How do you pick the people who work for you?