I had never been in charge of anything. I'd always worked for someone. I worked for a furniture warehouse. I did masonry. I always had a boss yelling at me. So I'd never been in charge of an organization.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I've always had a problem with authority. That's why I had to be my own boss.
I was one of those guys who never wanted to start their own business. I never saw myself as a leader. I saw myself as a great No. 2.
Once you're in charge of your job, your house, your children, getting the food on the table, doing all of this, all of the time, it'd be nice for someone else to be in charge for a bit maybe.
I was never supposed to make it to Congress. I was a staff person.
I've never been any good with authority.
In high school, I was on the youth advisory council for the Mayor's Office of Los Angeles, and that was kind of my first experience in the bureaucratic system. We tried to get things done, and nobody was really interested in getting anything done.
In a very real way, ownership is the essence of leadership. When you are 'ridiculously in charge,' then you own whatever happens in a company, school, et cetera.
As for leadership, I am the kind who leads reluctantly and more by example than anything else. Someone had to be on the incorporation papers as president.
I had to delegate authority to the people on my staff. That means you shave away the hierarchy.
I've been used to being my own boss for a really long time, so I don't take to authority very well.