Breakfast with Mineta

28Jul08

So from time to time, the Fellows are fortunate to gain access to noteworthy folks who are in town for one reason or another to listen to their wisdom and learn. You never know who or when, but if you get the email or the call, it’s be there or be square. We got one of those emails in April inviting us to breakfast with former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, who was in town to testify about the proposed rail transit initiative.

The Pacific Century Fellows meet former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta

We gathered at one of Honolulu’s best places for breakfast – Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab – to listen to Secretary Mineta. Figuring we were in for a talk on transit, I know I was surprised when he instead spoke about his path to public service and the leadership skills he learned at a tender age from watching the challenges faced by his father during World War II.

He shared his experience in the internment camps of Wyoming and how he saw the effect on his family, especially his father, and their friends in the community. It was really fascinating to hear what their lives were like and how they coped. You hear about internment in school, but they don’t really go in depth on what happened during and after.

Mineta became a public servant in the 1960s, where he first served as a city councilman for San Jose and then got elected as the first Asian-American mayor in the country. He went on to the House of Representatives and then later was appointed the Transportation Secretary under President Bill Clinton, making him the first Asian-American in the Cabinet. He also has the distinction of being the longest running Transportation Director as well as the first to serve under both a Democrat and a Republican, when he was reappointed by President George W. Bush. I’m sure there’s something I’m forgetting, but the bottom line was that he’s a pretty incredible individual.

He encouraged our group to focus on the task at hand and do it the best we can, because if you are successful at what you are doing now, the right opportunities will reveal themselves when the time is right. He spoke about those who spend so much time looking ahead to what they want, that they forget to mind the present and trip up their careers. Mineta also told us to remember those below us, that we would not be leaders if it weren’t for their help, and to make sure we pull them up as we go to give them similar opportunities to achieve as we have thus far. Pretty smart guy, yeah? I know I was impressed.

Sadly, I had to leave early to catch a plane that day, so I didn’t get to hear the end of his talk but the other fellows said it was great! Perhaps one day I’ll get to hear him speak again soon.

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Tags: Hawaii, Honolulu, Norman Mineta, Pacific Century Fellows, PCF, Sam Choy's Breakfast Lunch and Crab