During five decades of travelling and writing, I’ve met several people who through their humanity and ability to stay focused conveyed a rare, clear sense of purpose. Here’s my list.
Warren Buffett
What you see is what you get. Despite being the world’s most successful investor, Warren keeps his ego in check. He is modest and straightforward, exhibiting genuine interest in the person he’s talking to. I interviewed Warren in early 2009.
Ronald Reagan
The twinkle in his eye was disarming. He was serious and articulate. The smile lines around his eyes suggested that humour was never far away. Assigned to cover the presidential campaign, I interviewed the soon-to-be-president in Columbia, SC in October 1980.
Vaclav Havel
His sometime stumbling manner was endearing. We talked in 1995 at the Manes exhibition hall on the Vltava River in central Prague. As we chatted, his delicate fingers slowly twirled a pencil, a colourful African bracelet on one wrist. Havel was like a regular Czech who might be seated next to you in the pub.
Nelson Mandela
We met in a crowded press room at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Despite the boisterous adulation, Mandela was unflappable and listened intently to the words of his interlocutor. Effortlessly, he projected dignity.
Leszek Balcerowicz
The studious Polish academic didn’t simply present an economic plan and then leave it to others, he worked to make it happen. His contribution is charting the first successful transition from communism to capitalism. We met in 1989 and have stayed in touch.
Niall Ferguson
Historians seldom venture into present-day events. Niall is an exception. His 1990 address on debt at Washington’s Peterson Institute for International Economics was electrifying. Subsequently we’ve met several times at his office at the Hoover Institution on the Stanford University campus.
David Rubenstein
We first met in 2018 when I was writing a synopsis of a talk he gave at Washington’s Cosmos Club. We discussed the qualities of a good interview, and I told him that after Charlie Rose, he was the best interviewer. My praise was too modest as the passing years reveal that David Rubenstein is by far the best.
Jeffrey Sachs
In 1989 Jeff, then a Harvard professor, gave a Washington speech pleading that Poland’s first non-communist government needed massive aid to leap across the chasm to create a market economy. He was right and mostly successful. Through the passing decades, Jeff has remained steadfast in his vision of global cooperation to prevent war and combat climate change.
Milton Friedman
We first met in 1967 when Milton came to my university to present his critique of monetary policy. We were back in touch after the collapse of communism with Milton arguing that state assets in post-communist Europe should remain under local control. Always courteous, Milton charmed the group of broadcasters I brought to visit at the Hoover Institution in Palo Alto.
Kevin Rudd
A sensible axiom from Warren Buffett holds that we should draw close to smart people whose knowledge is vast and persuasive. I’ve yet to meet a person whose understanding of today’s China exceeds that of this witty, erudite, Mandarin-speaking Australian.
The views of the writer are not necessarily the views of the Daily Friend or the IRR
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