[Applause]
[Music]
white supremacist Nazi Flags Nazi
salutes clashing with a group of
protesters over the removal of a
Confederate statue someone drove a car
into a group of people intentionally
and a woman was killed Charlottesville
Virginia America 2017 Charlottesville
hit me hard really hard is this our new
reality sadly it looks a lot like our
old reality the racial division that has
haunted this country for over 200 years
is still with us what happened in
Charlottesville could happen anywhere
any city or town across this country I
think we all watch the news with a
disturbing sense of helplessness what
can we do about it what can I do about
it
as a CEO as the leader of a business
with over 500 employees I struggled with
how to react there was so much I wanted
to say to our employees how shocked I
was how disappointed how worried I was
the riots were on a Saturday and
throughout Saturday night and all Sunday
I wondered whether I should reach out to
our employees or whether because the
issues were so politically charged so
sensitive I should keep my thoughts to
myself I knew better
it was time for me to speak up it wasn’t
hard to put words to paper but I I just
wanted to get it right I I wanted to to
convey not only what I was feeling but
also to encourage others to speak up so
it took me over two days to get
comfortable with my message I put it out
on my blog on Wednesday morning I made
it clear what we saw in charlottesville
must not be tolerated the racism bigotry
hatred any semitism it’s just revolting
I thought it was well received I got
more likes and comments than ever before
our our employees seem to understand
what I was trying to say and appreciate
me putting it out there I was feeling
better about it I thought I’d done the
right thing and then at the end of the
week one of our younger colleagues
confronted me I like what you wrote but
why did it take you so long
those were his exact words and I was
stunned and I knew he was right why did
it take me so long to speak up this
isn’t easy for me it’s a way out of my
comfort zone trust me
I really am a very nervous public
speaker but now I know more than ever
how important it is for people in my
position
CEOs business leaders to speak up we
must do our part this has been a journey
it all started about 10 years ago when I
put myself out in a very public way when
a local environmental project Brown
advisories office in Baltimore
sits out on a pier water on three sides
it really is beautiful this is a view
that we often look at in the morning and
it reminds us of the progress we’ve made
but also of the progress we must still
make Baltimore’s Harbor an old
industrial city Harbor is just what you
would think decades of neglect leaky
sewage pipes stormwater runoff and trash
yes 50 years after the Keep America
Beautiful campaign people still litter
there are days where it could it’s just
disgusting
I remember thinking something has to be
done about this someone’s got to do
something and then I look to my left and
I look to my right and there was no one
there and the someone became me the next
thing I knew there I was at a press
conference with the mayor of Baltimore
kicking off a ten year effort to clean
up the harbor the goal to make it
swimmable and fishable in 2020 and then
I really got out of my comfort zone I
stepped forward and I said I would be
the first person
to swim across the harbor when we got
the job done
[Applause]
people thought I was crazy really crazy
they still do I look at that picture I
know what they’re thinking I’ve heard
you’re gonna get sick that’s
understandable you’re gonna drown that
one puzzled me it’s not that far across
and I think I’m a good enough swimmer
but for many reasons I knew we could do
it changes and regulations
creative financing and new technology if
you don’t already know them you should
mister trash will professor trash will
and soon to be installed Captain trash
will solar powered water powered trash
collectors they’re beautiful check out
those eyes they’re famous to over 40
million hits on social media and on the
top 10 of Reddit and not just once
they’re also really really effective
look at the data on their websites in
just three years they’ve collected over
735 tons of trash 600,000 plastic
bottles and 500,000 of those blue
plastic grocery bags and this one this
is my favorite 9.8 million cigarette
butts I don’t know how they count them
but they would fill a swimming pool
that’s disgusting and I’m not swimming
across that we knew it was time time to
make a stand time the plant a flag and
time to say publicly very publicly let’s
not make any more excuses let’s get the
job done
and it was time for all of us especially
for me to speak up it was my personal
commitment as a business leader behind
an environmental project
that really got people’s attention I
feel great about it with three years
left to go we made a lot of progress
there’s over 1 billion dollars in
infrastructure projects underway we will
get the job done and I will swim across
bottom of harbor in 2020 and I won’t be
alone many of you guys gonna be there
right with me right there’s a sign-up
sheet on our website we’re an advisory
com it’s got lots of interesting
questions right now it wants to know
what stroke you’re going to use leading
this effort has been a game changer
for the project and for me personally no
one should underestimate the impact that
a business leader can make speaking up
taking charge and putting the clout of a
sizeable employer behind an
environmental project it’s taught me
some of the most valuable lessons of my
life the role that a business leader can
play and should play the value of my own
voice and the need to get comfortable
using it it’s taken a lot of time no
question about it my board of directors
some of my colleagues have been pretty
vocal about this why are you taking so
much time away from your job as CEO my
day job as I often call it don’t you
already have too much on your plate I’ve
also heard you’re doing too much and
CEOs should just worry about the numbers
the numbers being CEO was about lot a
lot more than numbers not that they’re
not important they’re especially
important to us I work at an investment
firm but if all we did was focus on the
numbers I wouldn’t be doing my job as
CEO our leadership
is needed outside the four walls of our
offices as well our skills are needed
our focus on results organizing
effective teams setting deadlines using
data holding people accountable all the
things that are so important to running
successful businesses are critical to
getting things done in our community and
our voices our communities need our
voices they’re perhaps more important
than anything when a CEO speaks up
people listen especially in areas where
we’ve been too quiet
the environment sustainability diversity
and inclusion and sexual harassment and
when we don’t speak up people think we
don’t care and if people think we don’t
care then they think they don’t need to
care and that would be a huge mistake
and really dangerous history is filled
with painful lessons for those who look
the other way and we do care we care
deeply about these issues they’re on our
employees minds they’re on our families
minds they dominate conversations around
the dinner table every night our
children care about them our
grandchildren care about them there’s a
moral side to this as well our
businesses occupy really large
footprints in our communities and with
that comes lots of benefits but also
some things that we just have to do
because they’re the right things to do
speaking up it’s not an option it’s our
responsibility so why have we been so
quiet I really think that many CEOs
around the country are just like me we
struggle with our role and too often we
listen to people advising us who say
focus on the numbers
speak up but only if it’s going to make
a difference in the numbers focus on
your day job and above all keep your
head down not me and not anymore
so when Charles Fong came around I
really did understand my responsibility
as a business leader my younger
colleague was spot on and I’m really
proud of him for feeling comfortable to
speak up I was a day too late but I just
wanted to get it right
I wrote to our employees we must speak
up it’s our responsibility to do so I
know there are still business leaders
around the country trying to keep their
heads down but keeping our heads down
isn’t helping anyone it’s not working
it’s time to try something different
it’s time to tell people how much we
care it’s time to tell people what we
saw in Charles fell is unacceptable
I know these issues have become
politically sensitive ones they
shouldn’t be it’s okay to have different
political views it’s healthy and our
businesses should be places where
different views can be shared and
debated and respected but they must also
be places where people are encouraged to
speak up for what is right and against
what is wrong and what happened in
Charlottesville is wrong period
this is being quite a journey for me
it’s it’s been wonderful and it’s been
important it’s helped me to learn the
power of my own voice and when to use it
where it counts and loudly it’s gotten
me way out of my comfort zone
I mean I’m gonna jump in that Harbor one
day and I’m speaking here with you when
some pretty sensitive topics this is
just the beginning
but you and I know that the
responsibility is speaking up it’s not
just on the shoulders of business
leaders it’s not about me it’s about all
of us think about your own
responsibilities what do you care about
what’s gonna get you out of your comfort
zone
let’s make Charlottesville stand for
something positive
let’s make Charles will stand for
thinking about what’s important to you
and then tell someone about it and do
something about it and get out of your
comfort zone speak up
where it counts and really loudly
you
[Applause]
[Music]
white supremacist Nazi Flags Nazi
salutes clashing with a group of
protesters over the removal of a
Confederate statue someone drove a car
into a group of people intentionally
and a woman was killed Charlottesville
Virginia America 2017 Charlottesville
hit me hard really hard is this our new
reality sadly it looks a lot like our
old reality the racial division that has
haunted this country for over 200 years
is still with us what happened in
Charlottesville could happen anywhere
any city or town across this country I
think we all watch the news with a
disturbing sense of helplessness what
can we do about it what can I do about
it
as a CEO as the leader of a business
with over 500 employees I struggled with
how to react there was so much I wanted
to say to our employees how shocked I
was how disappointed how worried I was
the riots were on a Saturday and
throughout Saturday night and all Sunday
I wondered whether I should reach out to
our employees or whether because the
issues were so politically charged so
sensitive I should keep my thoughts to
myself I knew better
it was time for me to speak up it wasn’t
hard to put words to paper but I I just
wanted to get it right I I wanted to to
convey not only what I was feeling but
also to encourage others to speak up so
it took me over two days to get
comfortable with my message I put it out
on my blog on Wednesday morning I made
it clear what we saw in charlottesville
must not be tolerated the racism bigotry
hatred any semitism it’s just revolting
I thought it was well received I got
more likes and comments than ever before
our our employees seem to understand
what I was trying to say and appreciate
me putting it out there I was feeling
better about it I thought I’d done the
right thing and then at the end of the
week one of our younger colleagues
confronted me I like what you wrote but
why did it take you so long
those were his exact words and I was
stunned and I knew he was right why did
it take me so long to speak up this
isn’t easy for me it’s a way out of my
comfort zone trust me
I really am a very nervous public
speaker but now I know more than ever
how important it is for people in my
position
CEOs business leaders to speak up we
must do our part this has been a journey
it all started about 10 years ago when I
put myself out in a very public way when
a local environmental project Brown
advisories office in Baltimore
sits out on a pier water on three sides
it really is beautiful this is a view
that we often look at in the morning and
it reminds us of the progress we’ve made
but also of the progress we must still
make Baltimore’s Harbor an old
industrial city Harbor is just what you
would think decades of neglect leaky
sewage pipes stormwater runoff and trash
yes 50 years after the Keep America
Beautiful campaign people still litter
there are days where it could it’s just
disgusting
I remember thinking something has to be
done about this someone’s got to do
something and then I look to my left and
I look to my right and there was no one
there and the someone became me the next
thing I knew there I was at a press
conference with the mayor of Baltimore
kicking off a ten year effort to clean
up the harbor the goal to make it
swimmable and fishable in 2020 and then
I really got out of my comfort zone I
stepped forward and I said I would be
the first person
to swim across the harbor when we got
the job done
[Applause]
people thought I was crazy really crazy
they still do I look at that picture I
know what they’re thinking I’ve heard
you’re gonna get sick that’s
understandable you’re gonna drown that
one puzzled me it’s not that far across
and I think I’m a good enough swimmer
but for many reasons I knew we could do
it changes and regulations
creative financing and new technology if
you don’t already know them you should
mister trash will professor trash will
and soon to be installed Captain trash
will solar powered water powered trash
collectors they’re beautiful check out
those eyes they’re famous to over 40
million hits on social media and on the
top 10 of Reddit and not just once
they’re also really really effective
look at the data on their websites in
just three years they’ve collected over
735 tons of trash 600,000 plastic
bottles and 500,000 of those blue
plastic grocery bags and this one this
is my favorite 9.8 million cigarette
butts I don’t know how they count them
but they would fill a swimming pool
that’s disgusting and I’m not swimming
across that we knew it was time time to
make a stand time the plant a flag and
time to say publicly very publicly let’s
not make any more excuses let’s get the
job done
and it was time for all of us especially
for me to speak up it was my personal
commitment as a business leader behind
an environmental project
that really got people’s attention I
feel great about it with three years
left to go we made a lot of progress
there’s over 1 billion dollars in
infrastructure projects underway we will
get the job done and I will swim across
bottom of harbor in 2020 and I won’t be
alone many of you guys gonna be there
right with me right there’s a sign-up
sheet on our website we’re an advisory
com it’s got lots of interesting
questions right now it wants to know
what stroke you’re going to use leading
this effort has been a game changer
for the project and for me personally no
one should underestimate the impact that
a business leader can make speaking up
taking charge and putting the clout of a
sizeable employer behind an
environmental project it’s taught me
some of the most valuable lessons of my
life the role that a business leader can
play and should play the value of my own
voice and the need to get comfortable
using it it’s taken a lot of time no
question about it my board of directors
some of my colleagues have been pretty
vocal about this why are you taking so
much time away from your job as CEO my
day job as I often call it don’t you
already have too much on your plate I’ve
also heard you’re doing too much and
CEOs should just worry about the numbers
the numbers being CEO was about lot a
lot more than numbers not that they’re
not important they’re especially
important to us I work at an investment
firm but if all we did was focus on the
numbers I wouldn’t be doing my job as
CEO our leadership
is needed outside the four walls of our
offices as well our skills are needed
our focus on results organizing
effective teams setting deadlines using
data holding people accountable all the
things that are so important to running
successful businesses are critical to
getting things done in our community and
our voices our communities need our
voices they’re perhaps more important
than anything when a CEO speaks up
people listen especially in areas where
we’ve been too quiet
the environment sustainability diversity
and inclusion and sexual harassment and
when we don’t speak up people think we
don’t care and if people think we don’t
care then they think they don’t need to
care and that would be a huge mistake
and really dangerous history is filled
with painful lessons for those who look
the other way and we do care we care
deeply about these issues they’re on our
employees minds they’re on our families
minds they dominate conversations around
the dinner table every night our
children care about them our
grandchildren care about them there’s a
moral side to this as well our
businesses occupy really large
footprints in our communities and with
that comes lots of benefits but also
some things that we just have to do
because they’re the right things to do
speaking up it’s not an option it’s our
responsibility so why have we been so
quiet I really think that many CEOs
around the country are just like me we
struggle with our role and too often we
listen to people advising us who say
focus on the numbers
speak up but only if it’s going to make
a difference in the numbers focus on
your day job and above all keep your
head down not me and not anymore
so when Charles Fong came around I
really did understand my responsibility
as a business leader my younger
colleague was spot on and I’m really
proud of him for feeling comfortable to
speak up I was a day too late but I just
wanted to get it right
I wrote to our employees we must speak
up it’s our responsibility to do so I
know there are still business leaders
around the country trying to keep their
heads down but keeping our heads down
isn’t helping anyone it’s not working
it’s time to try something different
it’s time to tell people how much we
care it’s time to tell people what we
saw in Charles fell is unacceptable
I know these issues have become
politically sensitive ones they
shouldn’t be it’s okay to have different
political views it’s healthy and our
businesses should be places where
different views can be shared and
debated and respected but they must also
be places where people are encouraged to
speak up for what is right and against
what is wrong and what happened in
Charlottesville is wrong period
this is being quite a journey for me
it’s it’s been wonderful and it’s been
important it’s helped me to learn the
power of my own voice and when to use it
where it counts and loudly it’s gotten
me way out of my comfort zone
I mean I’m gonna jump in that Harbor one
day and I’m speaking here with you when
some pretty sensitive topics this is
just the beginning
but you and I know that the
responsibility is speaking up it’s not
just on the shoulders of business
leaders it’s not about me it’s about all
of us think about your own
responsibilities what do you care about
what’s gonna get you out of your comfort
zone
let’s make Charlottesville stand for
something positive
let’s make Charles will stand for
thinking about what’s important to you
and then tell someone about it and do
something about it and get out of your
comfort zone speak up
where it counts and really loudly
you
[Applause]
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