In Texas, we call a storm like Hurricane Alex a frog-choker. Impartial to who you are or where you are going, this was the kind of rain that would find you. And it found me, for five straight days. No matter what kind of foul-weather gear I donned, I still managed to get soaked to the bone. The only solution was to keep dry socks in the back seat and keep driving west. 
Houston provided no reprieve, unfortunately. But I did have a great time visiting Stu Staley ’88 at Citi’s downtown offices in the aptly named Williams Tower. It is conveniently linked through some nifty corridors to the Galleria, so we were able to drink our gourmet coffee and enjoy scenic views of the ice-skating rink, without even leaving the building! I’ve never been so grateful for a mall.
Stu is the Global Head of Commodities at Citi. For an outsider to the world of finance, Stu did a commendable job explaining his work to me. (Now, let’s hope I get it right…). His group is responsible for managing the commodity risk for the bank’s clients—businesses that span all kinds of categories, because unsurprisingly, there aren’t many businesses that don’t rely on one commodity or another. It is a job that has him traveling frequently—to London, Singapore, Brazil, among other locales, which is something that he tells me he really appreciates. Visiting so many different cultures helped him, and probably continues to help him understand people—a skill that is increasingly more important in his work. Travel also seems to keep him grounded. Stu’s work takes him to many countries that are in the early stages of their development—and not necessarily the most likely destinations for tourism. While there may be danger in visiting some of these places, he benefits from a truly intimate perspective with their reality.
Stu credits working abroad for helping both his personal and professional development. But, without hesitation, he also tells me that working at Enron through their bankruptcy was pivotal to where he is now. For many people, Enron represents failure—of arithmetic, communication, business, or even of ethics. So, it was interesting to hear about Stu’s positive experience. He has a mile-deep respect for his peer group and shared many lessons learned from his time with the company. On the topic of failure, I couldn’t help but think of Math Professor, Ed Burger, who encourages his students to think of failure as an indicator of a willingness to take risk. Or as Stuart put it, volatility—in the markets or in your personal life—means opportunity. You can panic…or you can seize it, and then make the best of it. Amen!
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