WEBVTT - Mayor Eric Adams: The CEO of NYC 0:00:06.000 --> 0:00:08.559 Welcome to Office Hours, where we sit down with the 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:12.320 world's most important chief executives and answer your most pressing 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:16.159 questions about leadership, career, and life. I'm Mike Steib and 0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:19.720 I am honored today to welcome Mayor Eric Adams, a 0:00:19.720 --> 0:00:24.000 former New York City Police Captain, state Senator, Borough president, 0:00:24.440 --> 0:00:27.520 and now the one hundred and tenth mayor of the 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:31.160 Great City of New York. Mayor Adams, Mike, how's it 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:33.919 going as someone who's raised two kids and three companies 0:00:33.920 --> 0:00:37.680 in this wonderful city. I am really excited and proud 0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:40.160 to be sitting down with the man who runs this town. 0:00:41.000 --> 0:00:42.000 Welcome to the show. 0:00:42.280 --> 0:00:44.720 Thank you very much. Good to be on with you. 0:00:48.040 --> 0:00:50.599 Mister Mayor. The format here is a lot like real 0:00:50.640 --> 0:00:53.800 life office hours. Our listeners have questions for the boss, 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.960 and we answer them. We had a ton of interesting 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:00.160 questions for you, and Tim and I have edited it 0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:01.520 out the ones that should have been three to one 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:05.360 one calls, and we've really focused down on the lessons 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:08.319 that you've taken from your time in public service that 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:10.440 our listeners can apply to their day to day work 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:13.040 and career growth. So sound good? 0:01:13.080 --> 0:01:15.680 Are you ready? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, Okay, great, We've. 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:18.959 Got a first a question from David and Queens. 0:01:20.520 --> 0:01:23.000 Question for you, mister Merrick, you run the most complex 0:01:23.000 --> 0:01:25.039 city in the world. Can you talk about how you 0:01:25.080 --> 0:01:27.679 plan your day and organize your team just stay on 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:28.800 top of everything. 0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:30.000 Thanks big fan. 0:01:31.680 --> 0:01:35.039 Well, you know, actually, David just about answer to the question. 0:01:35.560 --> 0:01:39.240 There's a bird that was hidden in his question. Organize. 0:01:40.000 --> 0:01:45.559 It's all about organizing yourself and complexity is really based 0:01:45.600 --> 0:01:49.920 on disorder. If you put things in an orderly manner 0:01:50.040 --> 0:01:53.800 or fashion that is trained for your brain, because what's 0:01:53.840 --> 0:01:56.160 an orderly wait for me may not be an orderly 0:01:56.200 --> 0:02:00.160 wait for someone else. So, as a former computer program 0:02:00.800 --> 0:02:08.200 started out my professional career programming with fourtrand assembly and cobold. 0:02:08.360 --> 0:02:11.519 That's hieroglyphics now, but those who are part of the 0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:13.919 program in universe know they're aware of that. 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:14.840 I believe in. 0:02:15.040 --> 0:02:20.359 Flow charts, I believe instructure. I believe in using spreadsheets 0:02:20.360 --> 0:02:24.600 and grass and it allows me to really manage this 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:29.279 extremely complex city. The city is not hard, it's value 0:02:29.680 --> 0:02:32.720 and so and matter yourself as I do. To be 0:02:33.120 --> 0:02:37.840 a fighter pilot, you fly that instrument that plane based 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:40.880 on your instrument panels. I have created a bunch of 0:02:40.919 --> 0:02:45.400 instrument panels. You cannot fly this plane called NYC if 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:47.760 you're trying to do it based on memory. I look 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:50.520 at my dashboard, my instrument panels, and it tells me 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:51.560 everything I need to know. 0:02:52.400 --> 0:02:54.840 Now, a lot of our listeners may not fully appreciate this, 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:57.240 but you have a team of over three hundred thousand people. 0:02:57.440 --> 0:03:01.239 You've got an annual budget of over one hundred billion dollars. 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:04.880 We sit down here with chief executives. It's hard to 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:07.440 find a chief executive who has a bigger or more 0:03:07.480 --> 0:03:10.240 complex organization than the one that you manage. People know 0:03:10.280 --> 0:03:13.880 you as the politician, but really you lead as the 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:14.760 chief executive. 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:21.040 CEO Yes, NYC, I'm the CEO of NYC, And you know, 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:23.880 I'm glad you stated that, because that's the proper analysis. 0:03:23.919 --> 0:03:24.800 We must look at this. 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:29.280 I spoke with a group of business owners at JP 0:03:29.480 --> 0:03:33.880 Morgan this morning, and you look at their budgets and 0:03:33.919 --> 0:03:35.560 the number of people that they manage. 0:03:35.600 --> 0:03:38.680 It comes nowhere near what I have to do every day. 0:03:38.880 --> 0:03:43.200 But not only are they making widgets, that's different from me. 0:03:43.600 --> 0:03:46.160 I'm making widgets and I have to deal with when 0:03:46.200 --> 0:03:48.640 the building collapse. I have to deal with when someone 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:50.680 is shot. I have to deal with when it's a 0:03:50.760 --> 0:03:53.560 train derailment. And so it's one thing to run your 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:57.320 corporation based on how many widgets you produce. I have 0:03:57.360 --> 0:03:59.680 to run a corporation based on how many lives I 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:04.480 say and how I respond quickly. You know, I'm in 0:04:04.000 --> 0:04:07.680 the pocket like a quarterback. I must look at the 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:11.560 entire field, move the fall ball down the field. Even 0:04:11.640 --> 0:04:14.760 though I was sacked one play earlier, I can't allow 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:16.240 that sack to stay in my head. 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:18.320 I got to trust my. 0:04:18.600 --> 0:04:22.760 Teams around me, stay in the pocket and stay focused downstream. 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:25.880 Now, was there for someone who's earlier in their career 0:04:25.880 --> 0:04:28.599 and doesn't have an organization the size of yours to 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:31.920 support them and that they have to support. Is there 0:04:31.960 --> 0:04:34.279 like one trick or tool you recommend. Does it trick 0:04:34.320 --> 0:04:37.000 out your calendar or use posted notes or use Excel? 0:04:37.160 --> 0:04:39.040 What's the best way to organize yourself if you run 0:04:39.080 --> 0:04:41.200 a small team or you're an individual contributor? 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:43.400 Got to do it in real time. I'm a big 0:04:43.760 --> 0:04:47.120 Google doc guy. You know this way you can monitor 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:51.280 things in real time and be able to communicate. But 0:04:52.120 --> 0:04:55.080 I'm a strong believer you have to work harder than 0:04:55.200 --> 0:04:58.640 your teammates. You have to give one hundred and twenty 0:04:58.680 --> 0:05:01.000 percent if you expect your tea team members to give 0:05:01.040 --> 0:05:03.520 you one hundred percent. So you should be up there earliest. 0:05:03.839 --> 0:05:07.560 You should be the last one to you know, turn 0:05:07.600 --> 0:05:09.039 off the likes at night. 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:11.920 And then you must be emotionally intelligent. 0:05:11.960 --> 0:05:14.880 A lot of people like to be academically smart and 0:05:14.960 --> 0:05:19.919 professionally gifted, but emotional intelligence, I think is one of 0:05:19.960 --> 0:05:23.040 the most important tools you could have. Understand how your 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:26.919 teammates are feeling, and understand how you are feeling so 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:28.880 that you can be the best that you can be, 0:05:29.040 --> 0:05:31.239 so you can bring out the best in them. 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:32.040 I love it. 0:05:32.640 --> 0:05:35.320 One of the things I've always found helpful, and my 0:05:35.400 --> 0:05:38.280 teammates know this. The calendar for me is the operating system. 0:05:38.360 --> 0:05:40.240 Whenever people tell me like I don't have time to 0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:42.960 you know, I miss my workout every day, I'm like, well, 0:05:42.960 --> 0:05:45.400 do you miss your eleven o'clock meeting and they said no, 0:05:45.440 --> 0:05:47.040 I'm like, it's in your calendar. If you really want 0:05:47.040 --> 0:05:48.840 to work out, get in your calendar, put it in 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:51.000 at six thirty, and show up on time. It's not 0:05:51.600 --> 0:05:53.520 once you commit right and once you put it in the. 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:56.000 Books, and that's so important. 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:59.760 You know what else, Mike, what we must understand our 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:04.839 brains are hardwired to do nothing. 0:06:05.640 --> 0:06:08.920 It's a very interesting relationship our brain has. 0:06:09.480 --> 0:06:13.760 Our brain has the capacity to do everything, but it's 0:06:13.920 --> 0:06:15.599 hardwired to do nothing. 0:06:15.839 --> 0:06:18.880 The brain wants you to put everything in automatic. 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:22.680 Mold so that you could run run away from the 0:06:22.720 --> 0:06:26.080 lions and tigers and bess because that's what the primary 0:06:26.200 --> 0:06:30.440 focus we've had. So when we start to say that 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.440 I'm going to the gym automatically, the brain is going 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:35.559 to say, no, you don't want to go to the gym. 0:06:35.880 --> 0:06:39.080 You have to start out understanding that the brains want 0:06:39.120 --> 0:06:42.039 you to do as little as possible so that you 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:45.039 can have everything you need to run away from the 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:46.520 lions and tigers and baths. 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:48.920 The lions and tigers and beads now. 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:51.880 Are the everything that is going on around us, and 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:55.520 we need to understand that. I lean into the fact 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.440 that I pushed through the nodes so I can get 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:01.479 to the yess. Yeah, you know one of the first 0:07:01.600 --> 0:07:05.880 famous sayings I heard. In order to live the life 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:08.640 you want to live, you have to do the things 0:07:08.720 --> 0:07:10.040 you didn't want to do. 0:07:10.560 --> 0:07:13.280 We'll end on that. That's beautiful. Let me go next 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:16.920 to Julia, who's in Austin. I hope she's not in 0:07:16.920 --> 0:07:19.280 New Yorker who moved to Austin, But we got Julia 0:07:19.400 --> 0:07:20.000 in Austin. 0:07:20.640 --> 0:07:23.040 At the start of your campaign, the other candidates were 0:07:23.120 --> 0:07:27.600 leaning hard into defunding the police and zero tolerance COVID policies. 0:07:28.480 --> 0:07:31.680 You campaigned on a very different set of principles and 0:07:31.720 --> 0:07:34.240 it worked. How did you know at the time that 0:07:34.320 --> 0:07:36.239 your plan was going to resonate with voters? 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:39.760 And mister Mayer, I love this question, you know, because 0:07:39.800 --> 0:07:44.240 Michael Porter says strategy is about deliberately choosing to be different. 0:07:44.760 --> 0:07:47.160 Would you would you define your campaign that way? Or 0:07:47.960 --> 0:07:49.840 how you How might you respond to that question? 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:50.680 Well, I don't. 0:07:50.720 --> 0:07:53.360 I don't know why people consider them the difference. I'm 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:57.280 just a ballhead entering where and you know, enjoy the 0:07:57.400 --> 0:08:00.680 nightlife mayor, so I don't find I think every man 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:04.640 in the country is bullhead and wear airing and go 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:07.120 out and support their nightlife industry. So I don't think 0:08:07.120 --> 0:08:13.560 I'm different. That's a great question. 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:18.320 The secret to my source was that I understood that 0:08:18.720 --> 0:08:21.680 the decision was going to be made by people on 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:24.560 social security and not social media. 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:27.720 I say that over and over again when you stay. 0:08:27.520 --> 0:08:31.280 In contact with the people who are every day people, heartbreaking, 0:08:31.880 --> 0:08:35.199 blue collar workers. And when I say blue collar, heartbroking, 0:08:35.280 --> 0:08:38.240 I'm not only talking about the person who's the auto mechanic. 0:08:38.320 --> 0:08:41.960 I'm talking about the person who is a finance person 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:45.440 or an accounting It's about just working hard. And I 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:49.080 was listening to those hardworking people, and I knew that 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:52.640 public safety midt everything. So when others were saying defund 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.200 the police, I was saying, give it the police to support. 0:08:55.240 --> 0:08:58.679 They deserve to keep our cities safe because the prerequisite 0:08:58.720 --> 0:09:01.000 to our prosperity is public safety. 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:04.400 And I believe that, and everyday New york Is believed 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:06.839 that as well. Well. 0:09:06.840 --> 0:09:09.280 It really felt like at one point or the campaigns 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:10.760 in New York or there were a lot of candidates 0:09:10.800 --> 0:09:12.760 who were selling something that just a lot of a 0:09:12.800 --> 0:09:15.600 lot of the voters weren't buying. And I think that's 0:09:15.640 --> 0:09:18.520 why your message resonated so well. And you know, for 0:09:18.559 --> 0:09:20.520 people who work on the corporate side, it's it's a 0:09:20.600 --> 0:09:22.760 lesson You've got to you've got to listen. I think 0:09:22.800 --> 0:09:24.840 you listened to your constituents obviously. 0:09:24.559 --> 0:09:26.040 It's gone a long way, and you have to say 0:09:26.080 --> 0:09:26.600 among them. 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:29.400 You know, you can't be a good shepherd if you 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:32.160 don't smell like a sheep. If you know, if you're 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:35.360 never among the sheep, how were you going to fully 0:09:35.480 --> 0:09:40.439 understand of what they are feeling? As far too many electeds, 0:09:40.440 --> 0:09:44.800 official and political leaders and corporate leaders like, how often 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:48.520 does the CEO actually go out to their fast food 0:09:48.640 --> 0:09:51.680 chain to see if people are saying good morning? 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:52.760 How could I help you? 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:56.840 How often does a person go out to this store 0:09:56.960 --> 0:09:59.760 or this shop or their or their place where the 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:03.280 actual product is being distributed. How often do they go 0:10:03.400 --> 0:10:07.199 to the tax firm if they are a tax service, 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:10.280 to see how is that person treated. If you don't 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:14.160 inspect what you expect, your product will always be suspect. 0:10:15.640 --> 0:10:19.439 Head into that and I and our listeners, No, I'm 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:21.520 in New Yorker. I've been in New Yorker for over 0:10:21.559 --> 0:10:24.160 twenty years, and I can vouch for the sauce on this. 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:26.720 I've I've been out having a good time, and Mayor Adams, 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:28.280 I've seen you out having a good time too. It 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:30.439 really makes it makes it feel real. It makes it 0:10:30.480 --> 0:10:34.559 feel real like when your mayor is consuming the city 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:35.679 the way the rest of us do. 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:39.760 Because this is a twenty four hour, seven day a 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:43.480 week city, not a nine or five city. And so 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:47.720 when I go out to a restaurant and go into 0:10:47.800 --> 0:10:51.400 the kitchen and talk to the cooking staff, or take 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:54.600 a selfie with the waiters, or when I finish dinner 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:57.400 and I head to the hospitals and see the nurses 0:10:57.440 --> 0:10:59.480 who are doing a four to twelve, or if I 0:10:59.480 --> 0:11:01.560 take the sell Way station at two in the morning 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:04.480 to see the rookies who are doing the overnight shift, 0:11:04.679 --> 0:11:09.480 it is saying to people that my mayor recognize me 0:11:10.000 --> 0:11:13.200 and does not treat me differently because I don't do 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:14.520 bankers hours. 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:15.640 That's not the city. 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:18.440 The city's a twenty four hour city, and I want 0:11:18.480 --> 0:11:21.360 them to see their mayors out there with them as 0:11:21.400 --> 0:11:24.480 they run the city and keep it alive and thriving. 0:11:25.600 --> 0:11:28.200 That's such great advice. This next question is it's a pivot, 0:11:28.240 --> 0:11:29.719 but it's I think this is one you can be 0:11:29.800 --> 0:11:33.080 really helpful with. From Tony and Princess Bay. 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:36.920 I am allows your public speaker like really lousy. You 0:11:37.000 --> 0:11:38.640 both make it look easy to get in front of 0:11:38.640 --> 0:11:41.440 people and talk. Can you get those suggestions somebody who 0:11:41.440 --> 0:11:45.079 wants to get better at it. Thanks, great question. First 0:11:45.120 --> 0:11:49.240 of all, I'm allowing the public speaker. Also, I'm socially awkward. 0:11:49.600 --> 0:11:51.719 I don't feel comfortable in front of the crowds. 0:11:52.400 --> 0:11:55.920 So what do I do. I come prepared by the 0:11:56.000 --> 0:11:58.000 time I stand up to give a speech. 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:01.160 I said it over and over in my head, and 0:12:01.240 --> 0:12:05.120 I made it my life story. And if anyone who 0:12:05.120 --> 0:12:09.160 has followed me, then notice that my speeches are based 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:10.800 on my personal journey. 0:12:10.960 --> 0:12:12.280 And when you're saying. 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:15.240 Your personal journey, you don't always have to write anything 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:18.280 down because it's your story. It has already been written 0:12:18.280 --> 0:12:20.760 down in your memory and in your heart. 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:23.640 And anyone that really listened closely. 0:12:24.320 --> 0:12:27.480 When I talk about homelessness, I'm talking about living on 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:31.000 the verge of homelessness and living from relative to relative 0:12:31.080 --> 0:12:34.520 without a permanent bed. When I talk about learning disabilities, 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:36.080 I talk about my dyslexia. 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:39.160 That's not hard to or to try to figure out 0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:39.920 the speech about. 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:42.040 When I talk about the mistakes I made in life, 0:12:42.400 --> 0:12:45.400 I expose myself to the criticism because I give those 0:12:45.440 --> 0:12:48.840 real life scenarios. So my advice to him is be 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:52.320 authentic and no matter what you do, built in your 0:12:52.480 --> 0:12:55.640 narrative and your story, and you'll see that you don't 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:57.360 have to write everything down. 0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:01.520 Mister bean, would you prepare? You don't memorize a speech? 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:01.880 Right you? 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:02.160 Sort of? 0:13:02.160 --> 0:13:03.680 Do you like? Sort of do the highlights or the 0:13:03.679 --> 0:13:05.760 bullet points for yourself and run through it in your head, 0:13:05.760 --> 0:13:07.839 because I don't think I've ever seen your reading a 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:08.280 piece of it. 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:12.280 No, I do exactly that you know, no matter what 0:13:12.440 --> 0:13:14.320 topic is. And I have to be blessed. I lived 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:17.720 the full life. There have been good days and bad days, 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:21.199 but each one of them have been learning days and. 0:13:21.320 --> 0:13:23.200 The fullness of that life. 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:27.439 It has given me an opportunity to speak with people 0:13:27.480 --> 0:13:30.559 from personal experiences. And so even a young person that's 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:35.040 starting out, if he or she is talking about how 0:13:35.040 --> 0:13:37.560 do you have a good comeback? Talk about that broken heart, 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:40.920 Talk about that first love you had that broke your heart. 0:13:41.280 --> 0:13:41.880 Talk about the. 0:13:41.920 --> 0:13:46.280 Dog that you lost that you know, ran away from home. 0:13:46.679 --> 0:13:49.240 Talk about losing your first job. Talk about the nervousness 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:51.600 of getting your first job and how you felt and 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:52.720 how you dropped the ball. 0:13:53.120 --> 0:13:55.800 You'll be surprised. I don't care if you're thirteen. 0:13:56.160 --> 0:13:59.320 There's a whole lot of life stories, stories inside even 0:13:59.320 --> 0:14:04.200 a thirteen. You just identify them and incorporate, incorporate them 0:14:04.280 --> 0:14:05.840 into any conversation you have. 0:14:06.640 --> 0:14:08.920 I think that that advice to be to be personal 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.680 and authentic goes a long way. I'd also say to Tony, 0:14:14.360 --> 0:14:17.280 the Mayors has done it so many times. It's done 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:19.600 it so many times, and you've had this added advantage, 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:21.080 which is offen in front of the camera, so you 0:14:21.160 --> 0:14:23.680 get to see how it went. I might suggest Tony 0:14:23.760 --> 0:14:25.800 or anyone who's trying to become a better public speaker, 0:14:25.800 --> 0:14:28.160 set up your iPhone, give your speech in front of 0:14:28.160 --> 0:14:30.520 the phone, and turn around and watch it, make some 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:33.200 of your own notes. Try it again. I've seen that, 0:14:33.280 --> 0:14:35.680 Like you don't notice you touch your face all the time, 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:37.560 you don't notice that you're pacing, You don't notice that 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:39.600 you say on a thousand times until you watch it 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.840 through somebody else's eyes. And for me personally, it's it's 0:14:42.840 --> 0:14:44.120 helped to get a little bit better at that. 0:14:44.320 --> 0:14:50.240 Yes, and be and critique yourself, you know, be honest 0:14:50.880 --> 0:14:56.480 and critique yourself. And perfection is not a humanistic characteristic 0:14:56.600 --> 0:15:00.280 So if you find yourself perfect, then is obvious you're 0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:01.400 not looking at the real you. 0:15:02.080 --> 0:15:15.000 Yeah, that's right. We got a quick commercial. Don't go anywhere, Okay, 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:17.520 I've got the next questions from Sanjay and Park Sloop. 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:20.880 New York is the most diversity in the world, yet 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:23.240 Mayor Adams is only the second mayor who's a person 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:24.960 of color, and we still have yet to have a 0:15:24.960 --> 0:15:27.240 woman as mayor. What do you both see as the 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:30.440 systemic issues causing this? And what should people and employers 0:15:30.480 --> 0:15:32.960 in the city do to lift up more diverse leaders? 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:39.560 So important, and diversity is our most secret, impotent weapon. 0:15:39.840 --> 0:15:43.160 And you learn so much from diverse environment. It's almost 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:47.760 a Shakespearean tragedy. When someone only knows individuals who look 0:15:47.920 --> 0:15:50.320 like them, talk like them, eat the same food, do 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:55.040 the same things. You're just never growing. Growth is leaning 0:15:55.160 --> 0:15:59.040 into healthy discomfort. And what I believe we need to 0:15:59.080 --> 0:16:02.760 do is each time we take a step, we should 0:16:02.800 --> 0:16:05.000 bring others with us. And so what does that look like? 0:16:05.120 --> 0:16:07.840 It looks like that. When I became the mayor, I 0:16:07.920 --> 0:16:11.359 made sure with the first women become the police commissioner, 0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:14.720 the first woman become the fire commissioner of the second 0:16:14.720 --> 0:16:17.720 woman to become the chief of staff or mayor, the 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:22.160 first African American woman to become a first deputy mayor. 0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:26.000 So when you look around, you're seeing all these first 0:16:26.040 --> 0:16:30.800 first Korean American to become the Commission of Small Business Services, 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:33.600 the number of Muslims that I have that are first, 0:16:34.360 --> 0:16:38.000 so so many first that you're seeing. I'm bringing other 0:16:38.120 --> 0:16:40.760 people with me, So history should not be about me. 0:16:41.000 --> 0:16:44.360 History should be about everyone you bring with us. And 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:47.000 then all of a sudden, we no longer use in first. 0:16:47.080 --> 0:16:49.600 We're using something called this is just normal. 0:16:50.200 --> 0:16:54.360 It's just normal, mayor something I've also, you know, in 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:58.120 our city, tech and finance are two of the biggest industries, 0:16:58.160 --> 0:17:01.720 and those are industries that have a tendency to lack diversity, 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:04.720 especially in the leadership ranks. And one of the things 0:17:04.720 --> 0:17:07.879 I've noticed that at work is if there's a company 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:10.879 where everybody looks alike, they have a tendency to be 0:17:10.920 --> 0:17:13.800 recruiting from the same schools. They have a tendency to 0:17:13.800 --> 0:17:16.960 be going after the same MBAs. They have referral programs. 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:18.960 So you get a whole building full of people who 0:17:18.960 --> 0:17:20.679 look alike, and then you give them an extra bonus, 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:23.640 they go find you somebody else from their circles. There's 0:17:23.680 --> 0:17:26.439 something that some companies get wrong in the pipeline that 0:17:26.480 --> 0:17:28.600 I know as a leader, I've worked really hard on 0:17:28.640 --> 0:17:32.119 in trying to diversify that pipeline way upstream so that 0:17:32.160 --> 0:17:34.640 we see all the best talent, not just the best 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:36.960 talent that comes from the same you know, the same 0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:38.600 few schools in the same few places. 0:17:38.680 --> 0:17:41.119 Well, said Mike, I could not have said bet. You know. 0:17:41.160 --> 0:17:43.720 I was talking to a group of corporate leaders and 0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:47.360 they would talk about recruitment, and I stated that everyone 0:17:47.440 --> 0:17:50.480 is not on LinkedIn. You know, sometimes you have to 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:53.359 go off the beaten path to find a talent that 0:17:53.480 --> 0:17:56.000 is not on that path. You know how much talent 0:17:56.119 --> 0:18:00.520 we have in Nitsche public housing in this city, young 0:18:00.600 --> 0:18:05.080 people who know how to put their those to the 0:18:05.160 --> 0:18:09.240 stone and just grind along. The talent is so deep 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:14.600 and if you are really aggressively enough to leave your 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:18.720 place of comfort and lean into discomfort, you would be 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:21.919 amazed at the talent that is out there. And that 0:18:22.040 --> 0:18:24.200 is what I believe we should do, and it is 0:18:24.320 --> 0:18:27.679 it makes you, makes you produce a better product, have 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:32.080 a better company, and really get the type of ideas 0:18:32.160 --> 0:18:34.440 that you would really have overlooked. 0:18:35.160 --> 0:18:37.640 All right, next question is Lauren in Manhattan. 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:40.320 I've been in corporate leadership for a number of years 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:44.400 and thinking ahead to the next chapter of my life, 0:18:44.720 --> 0:18:47.760 I feel like more women with my leadership experience should 0:18:47.760 --> 0:18:50.840 be in politics. But frankly, I have no idea where 0:18:50.840 --> 0:18:53.760 to start after thirty years in the private sector. 0:18:54.080 --> 0:18:55.000 What do I do next? 0:18:55.880 --> 0:19:00.160 That's a great question, that is an authentic question. Next 0:19:00.160 --> 0:19:02.720 thing to do is if you have not I'm going 0:19:02.760 --> 0:19:05.920 to just excuse me if I'm taking things for granted. 0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:08.320 But the first thing to do is to sit down 0:19:08.359 --> 0:19:12.960 and get a real civic book, read through all the 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:16.760 levels of government, and then make notes in the margin 0:19:16.880 --> 0:19:22.160 like I do, of who's your congressperson, who's your US Senator, 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:26.119 who's your state senator, who's your assembly person, your council person, 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:29.159 your district leader. Then make a note of all of 0:19:29.160 --> 0:19:33.360 the political clubs in your community and start joining them 0:19:33.359 --> 0:19:38.320 and visiting them. Then visit your precinct council meeting, your 0:19:38.359 --> 0:19:42.160 community board meeting, your PTA meeting. Even if you don't 0:19:42.160 --> 0:19:45.439 have children, you can still hear what's going on in 0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:49.200 the school to get an understanding. And lastly, go volunteer 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:52.119 in one of those offices. Sit down with them, be 0:19:52.200 --> 0:19:55.840 part of their committees, learn what they are doing, help 0:19:55.880 --> 0:20:00.119 them write their legislation if it's a lawmaker, or or 0:20:00.640 --> 0:20:03.560 help them with some policy, and then you'll get a 0:20:03.600 --> 0:20:06.439 real taste. Do you really want to do it? You 0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:10.640 understand the frustrations and difficulties knowing that you always don't 0:20:10.680 --> 0:20:11.560 get what you want. 0:20:12.119 --> 0:20:14.680 There's a lot of compromise, and from. 0:20:14.480 --> 0:20:17.000 There you can then make up your mind which you 0:20:17.160 --> 0:20:21.760 like to run for office. And by working on someone's campaign, 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:26.439 you could understand the challenges of running for office, raising money, 0:20:26.800 --> 0:20:31.000 having someone who's broken and in pain of yell. 0:20:30.840 --> 0:20:32.400 At you or call you names. 0:20:32.640 --> 0:20:35.800 You need to really get the fullness of what being 0:20:35.800 --> 0:20:39.880 the elected official is like and not the believe glamor 0:20:40.080 --> 0:20:40.400 of it. 0:20:41.720 --> 0:20:43.080 I do want you to know though, in the private 0:20:43.119 --> 0:20:46.440 sector they call us names too. That's an experience that's 0:20:46.480 --> 0:20:49.719 been shared. One thing I'd love to your perspective on this, 0:20:50.040 --> 0:20:52.840 mister Maryland. I've also I remember when I was in 0:20:52.960 --> 0:20:56.480 high school, we met our congress person and it was 0:20:56.520 --> 0:20:58.119