What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Sitting in my backyard with my dogs by my side, smoking a Cuban cigar, drinking a glass of vintage port and listening to Frank Sinatra with my waterfall in the background. Luckily, I do this quite often.
What is your greatest fear?
Flying. I will never be on a plane again—been there and done that, too many times.
Which living person do you most admire?
John Pepper, former CEO of Procter & Gamble.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
I don’t think you could print them here.
When and where were you happiest?
I’m happiest right now. I’m living the dream—I had a great long career with P&G, but working with Duke students and with Duke Children’s Hospital is what I’m meant to be doing at this point in my life.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Phil Mickleson’s golf game.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Be a bit more svelte.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
It’s ongoing: My commitment to continuous improvement and to develop people and help them achieve their goals.
Where would you most like to live?
I’ve lived in 14 places around the world, and the place I’d most like to be is where I am right now—Hope Valley in Durham.
What are your most treasured possessions?
My dogs and my memories.
What are your most marked characteristics?
My creativity and an obsession to continuously add value
wherever I see an opportunity.
Who are your favorite writers?
Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William F. Buckley, Rex Stout.
Which historical figures do you most identify with?
Mark Twain and Theodore Roosevelt
Who are your heroes in real life?
The families and children I see at Duke Children’s Hospital that face unpleasant medical issues with bravery and resolve and hope. They give me strength and put my own life’s issues in perspective.
What is your motto?
The last verse of Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”:
“I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence: two roads diverged in the wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
How did your experience at Duke prepare you for the business world?
Duke challenged me intellectually and broadened my mind by exposing me to topics and people I wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to.
How has Duke changed since you were here as an undergrad?
It’s everything it was back then but better: better facilities, better students, better reputation, better teachers, better athletics, better opportunities for students to be creative and express themselves.
What brought you back to Duke?
I wanted to help Duke and Duke students succeed by sharing the experiences, training and learning I’ve been fortunate enough to accumulate. It’s part of leaving a legacy and leaving people and places better off than when you first arrived.
Do you consider yourself an academic?
I’m not sure what that means. I’m a teacher, a mentor, a coach, a friend.
What advice would you offer to twentysomethings graduating from Duke this May?
Listen to George Bernard Shaw, who said: “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” Leverage leadership and creativity to be unreasonable.
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