Moneydots Network Interview with Steve Forbes
Barbra Alexander, thank you again for inviting me back (August 15, 2009) to share your stimulating radio space with another long-time idol. I honestly believe I'm not an envious person, but upon reflection, I guess I do envy
Steve Forbes. One of the pleasant little features of working with Barbra and her network is that you get hooked up on the telephone with other guests prior to the program's start, which means there's a brief period for conversation.
When I worked for W.R. Grace & Co. back in the 1980s, Steve's father, the venerable
Malcolm Forbes (known for his observation, "The only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys") regularly attended Grace's annual Saint Patrick's Day party, hardly a gold-plated affair (held in the company cafeteria, it was a self-serve buffet of corned beef, cabbage and soda bread, the room decorated with down-home green crepe paper), and the elder Forbes and then CEO Peter Grace always huddled together for at least a half-hour, with my imagining a real-time caption along the lines of "It's lonely at the top."
The point being, I had met and conversed with Steve's father a few times at these comfortable affairs but had only bumped into Steve a couple of times at other venues and never had the chance to speak with him. Since then (and before, actually), I have always admired and benefited from his incisive commentaries in Forbes, and on live television interviews. Now I had the opportunity to chat with him one-on-one before the starting gun. Because I was once a fledgling Latin student in junior high school, I was very intrigued by Steve's decision to pen a book about ancient leaders of the great empires and cull from their legendary records lessons to apply to modern business management and finance. This wonderful book, now on the market, called Power, Ambition, Glory: The Stunning Parallels between Great Leaders of The Ancient World and Today…And The Lessons You Can Learn, is very practical tool as well and has met with both critical acclaim and brisk sales.
i couldn't resist telling Steve what was really on my mind: that it must be terrific to be a man in his position authoring a book like this, not having to put up with the marketing department telling you why "the bumblebee can't fly." And I think it's a fairly safe assumption that it comes in handy when you own the joint; you can just write and publish whatever you want. That's how I've always understood the Forbes family philosophy and the tone between the lines of the things Steve and his father have published over the years and the esprit de corps they've nurtured at Forbes for a very long time. Steve's relaxed and genuine chuckle in response to that bit of waggery confirmed what I'd always suspected about him; he's a very likably modest man who keeps his ego in check--not bad for a guy who's run for president. So I admit it; I envy Steve Forbes.
Listen to Steve's comments in the following and you'll have little difficulty understanding what I mean.
Click here for part one of Steve Forbes's interview with Moneydots.
Needless to say, this was a tough act to follow, but here it is.
Click here for part one of Reid Holloway's conversation with Barbra about Steve and his book (and a couple of other topics).
--RLH.9.21.09