The Library Society is honored to host Stephen A. Schwarzman as part of the Greystar Business & Leadership Series, to speak about his recent best-seller, What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence. The discussion will be moderated by Bob Faith, Chairman, Founder and CEO of Greystar. Schwarzman will share some lessons he learned during his rise as a financial leader. Dedication to excellence has been the driving force in his work and life and it has been a key to his impact on philanthropy, finance and politics. Whether you are a student, entrepreneur, philanthropist, executive, or a person looking for ways to maximize your potential, Schwarzman’s reflections will help provide the answers. Wes Fuller, Executive Managing Director of Investment Management at Greystar will introduce the series and Steve and Bob to the stage to get the evening started.
Tickets for this event are $60 and include a copy of Schwarzman’s What It Takes: Lessons in the Pursuit of Excellence with a signed bookplate. To purchase tickets, click here or call 843-723-9912
ABOUT THE BOOK: People know who Stephen Schwarzman is at least they think they do. He’s the man who took $400,000 and co-founded Blackstone, the investment firm that manages over $500 billion (as of January 2019). He’s the CEO whose views are sought by heads of state. He’s the billionaire philanthropist who founded Schwarzman Scholars, this century’s version of the Rhodes Scholarship, in China. But behind these achievements is a man who has spent his life learning and reflecting on what it takes to achieve excellence, make an impact, and live a life of consequence.
Folding handkerchiefs in his fathers linen shop, Schwarzman dreamed of a larger life, filled with purpose and adventure. His grades and athleticism got him into Yale. After starting his career in finance with a short stint at a financial firm called DLJ, Schwarzman began working at Lehman Brothers where he ascended to run the mergers and acquisitions practice. He eventually partnered with his mentor and friend Pete Peterson to found Blackstone, vowing to create a new and different kind of financial institution.
Building Blackstone into the leading global financial institution it is today didn’t come easy. Schwarzman focused intensely on culture, hiring great talent, and establishing processes that allow the firm to systematically analyze and evaluate risk. Schwarzman’s simple mantra don’t lose money has helped Blackstone become a leading private equity and real estate investor, and manager of alternative assets for institutional investors globally. Both he and the firm are known for the rigor of their investment process, their innovative approach to deal making, the diversification of their business lines, and a conviction to be the best at everything they do.
Schwarzman is also an active philanthropist, having given away more than a billion dollars. In philanthropy, as in business, he is drawn to situations where his capital and energy can be applied to drive transformative solutions and change paradigms, notably in education. He uses the skills learned over a lifetime in finance to design, establish, and support impactful and innovative organizations and initiatives. His gifts have ranged from creating a new College of Computing at MIT for the study of artificial intelligence, to establishing a first-of-its-kind student and performing arts center at Yale, to enabling the renovation of the iconic New York Public Library, to founding the Schwarzman Scholars fellowship program at Tsinghua University in Beijing the single largest philanthropic effort in Chinas history from international donors.
Schwarzman’s story is an empowering, entertaining, and informative guide for anyone striving for greater personal impact. From deal making to investing, leadership to entrepreneurship, philanthropy to diplomacy, Schwarzman has lessons for how to think about ambition and scale, risk and opportunities, and how to achieve success through the relentless pursuit of excellence. Schwarzman not only offers readers a thoughtful reflection on all his own experiences, but in doing so provides a practical blueprint for success.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephen A. Schwarzman is Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone, one of the worlds leading investment firms. Mr. Schwarzman is an active philanthropist with a history of supporting education, culture, and the arts, among other areas. Mr. Schwarzman holds a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He lives in New York City with his wife and three dogs.