"Don't Get Too Comfortable"

by Bruce Karatz

Address to the USC Law
Sunday, May 16, 2004

Congratulations to the Class of 2004 which also includes those of you in the distinguished LLM program.

You know, it was another warm and sunny Sunday afternoon, some 34 years ago, that I stood not too far from here and accepted my diploma from the USC Law. I am so proud and honored to be here with those of you doing the same today.

To think that I have come full circle and been asked to address all of you is a great honor. As I look around, I wonder who among you will distinguish themselves and be in this unique position another 34 years from now - or even sooner.

If it happens to be you, don't worry. It's as simple as standing here, sounding inspiring. Being a little bit funny.key words "little bit."

Actually, in the end I honestly hope to offer you some practical advice and a perspective about your lives and careers that will somehow make an impact in shaping your future.

Before I do that, I want to first pay tribute to Professor Chemerinsky. Erwin, you've offered a distinctive voice to the civic life of Los Angeles. That voice, always focused on reason, compromise and justice, is going to be impossible to replace.

When you roll up your sleeves and take on the tough issues that matter to people in neighborhoods and communities - that's when you're making a difference. And that's what you've done over your career.

I simply hope that you'll find in Durham enough local conflict and controversy to keep that amazing mind of yours active.

While Professor Chemerinsky's departure is a great loss, I admire the risk he's taking. He's leaving a position of influence -- a position he's worked hard to attain -- for a future where the lines aren't yet drawn.

And that's what I want to discuss with you.

You are all high achievers. You wouldn't be graduating from one of America's premier law schools if you weren't. To simply be accepted to this institution is an achievement; to walk away three years later with a law degree is something you should be justly proud of.

You've worked hard. But for many of you, I suspect it came naturally. For you, this day is simply another link in an unbroken chain of accomplishment.

From an early age, you've been told that you were something special, that you were destined to succeed, that you could reason your way through any argument and talk circles around any opponent.

You've been class presidents. You've received great internships. Academic honors were a given. And many of you have already mapped out your path to the corner office - or for some, to the Oval Office.

When you're constantly told you're great, and when you constantly justify the faith others have in you, it's hard to escape the feeling that success is your natural right. And a life surrounded by people who defer to you and want you to succeed can be terribly seductive.

As human beings, we're attracted to comfort - not just in our physical surroundings, but also in our emotional lives, and in our professions. When the choice is between the known and the unknown, between what's hard to see and what's easy to touch, our instinct is to take the option with the least stress involved.

But I'm here to say one thing: don't fall for it.

Don't settle for the familiar.

Don't measure your success against what's readily attainable.

Don't wait for others to open doors that you can kick down yourself.

You will no longer stand out and can no longer feel too comfortable. I urge you to accept the obscurity, pursue the introduction, tackle the challenges and embrace imagination.

In the mid-1970s, I was asked to go to Paris to take over KB Home's operations. Within two weeks, I was on a plane - not knowing a word of French or having a single friend in the country.

I walked into KB Home's office the first day and the English-speaking office manager said -- without even giving it a second thought -- that my assistant would be bilingual.

It would have been very easy to accept that bilingual assistant, who would be my bridge to the French speakers in my office and in the community.

It would certainly make my transition much more comfortable.

But here was a moment of choice. If I was to succeed in that community, it had to be on its terms - not mine. If I wanted to negotiate successfully, I had to be able to grasp the subtleties. If I wanted to market our products effectively, I had to understand the culture. If I wanted to talk with employees about their issues and concerns, it had to be in their language.

I chose to be uncomfortable. I asked for an assistant who only spoke French.

In the beginning I regretted my decision. At times, our office looked like a really bad sit-com. And there were definitely stumbling blocks.

I can remember, early on, one instance when my head of construction came to see me. This is a large, bearded, manly-man with a rather intimidating frame and personality. He simply asked me, "Comment s'est deroule votre visite a Paris, jusqu'a maintenant?" Which is translated, "How has your stay been in Paris so far?"

Thinking I was close to mastering the language and wanting to tell him "It's too bad that my family is not here yet, because I am falling in love with it," I rattled off, without hesitation, "C'est dommage que ma famille ne soit pas ici avec moi, cependant, parce que je suis amoureuse de toi," which means, "It's too bad that my family is not here with me yet, because I am falling in love with you." You can just imagine the look I received from this hammer and tool belt carrying colleague. But being uncomfortable meant I had to learn the language. And I ultimately became a better manager and better leader for it.

While I was there, the newspaper Le Figaro hosted a 10-day networking cruise for executives. I felt there was no way to leave my post for 10 days, so instead I decided to attend only the Bon Voyage cocktail reception. It was simple. I'd spend an hour shaking hands and collecting business cards. But when I got there, I saw a room full of the most powerful CEOs in France. When else would I ever have the opportunity to have a captive audience with a ship full of CEOs? Within minutes I was out the door, rushing home to pack a bag and catch the first cab back to the dock. Now, decades later, many of these people are some of my closest friends and most trusted business colleagues.

That trip - that moment of seizing a situation that might not be comfortable - proved to be even more fortuitous. While on board I was approached by the executive of a particularly aggressive ad agency. Soon we were embarking on the boldest promotion France had ever seen; building a full-size KB home on the top of Au Printemps, France's largest department store. For weeks people gawked at this huge home sitting 6 stories above the street. It was more than uncomfortable; it was unconventional - unforgettable.

So I went from an American executive with poor French language skills to someone who took leaps into the unknown and left France with KB Home being the country's largest homebuilder.

But I couldn't go it alone. And neither can you.

You need to reach out. Abandon your ego and ask for help.

Above all, realize that doing so isn't a sign of weakness, but of enormous moral and intellectual strength.

And this is the amazing part. You'll find that when you ask for help, people will give it to you. I can tell you first-hand that influential men and women respect those who ask good questions far more than those who claim to know the answers.

When you start reaching out and asking questions, you're steadily building networks of supporters - people who support you not because of who you are or what you've done in the past, but because they believe you can make a contribution in the future.

But you don't have to go to France. Here in Los Angeles, a city of remarkable intellectual and economic diversity, those networks are ready and waiting to be built. You live among experts and trailblazers in just about every field of human endeavor -- the arts, politics, academia, philanthropy, science, business and so much more.

Your challenge isn't finding people to connect with - it's finding your passions, and knowing how and where to begin.

When building these connections, there are so many places to turn. But one resource I don't want you to forget is the one that's the most easily overlooked: the legion of lawyers, judges and executives who are retired and live around you.

They're out there. And if they believe in you, they'll put their wealth of experience, contacts and resources at your disposal.

Now, the importance of forming professional networks isn't the most radical advice you've ever heard. And it's practically table stakes if you want to advance in your chosen career.

But what I want you to think about is how to form networks that are in addition to your profession. The networks that may one day help you to expand on the skills you've learned here.

I've seen lawyers in their mid- to late thirties, having practiced law for a decade or more, decide that they want to apply their critical minds to the wider world of business. But having devoted their lives to the law to the exclusion of all other interests, they did not know where to begin.

It's all they knew. It's what they were comfortable doing. They did it well, and often were richly compensated for it. But this creeping security and single focus limited their options both within their legal careers and beyond.

I've also known several attorneys who have never wanted to wander from this great legal profession and have truly enjoyed every waking moment of their careers. One day you will come across that directional intersection and will need to make a determination. But keep in mind that those who love what they do for a living, never actually work a day in their lives.

So make choices based upon those networks and supporters, because when you've got those networks of supporters, you have a whole new set of options. And more power to shape and reshape your own life than you can possibly imagine.

After I graduated from USC Law School, I began practicing law at a local firm. I was a good lawyer. And in the early years of my career began demonstrating to an ever-increasing circle of professionals a willingness to take on projects that were very different from what I was then doing.

Soon enough, I got a call from someone I met through one of the many local business and civic organizations that I had joined. As it happened, he was a respected local headhunter, conducting a search for a dynamic young homebuilding company. He wanted me to meet with the CEO, who was just then building a reputation as a savvy executive.

I was sitting across the desk from Eli Broad the next day. And I was sitting at my own desk at KB Home the next week. Interestingly enough, I was hired as an attorney. I have been fortunate enough to benefit from the best of both worlds due to the strength and significance of this great law degree. You too will have that option with this degree, should you choose to venture into the unknown.

You see, when you leave yourself open to any possibility - and continue expanding the realm of who and what you know -- your life can take an unexpected direction.

One of your fellow graduates, Courtney Brunious, gets this. Where's Courtney?

After Courtney and I met at a networking event, he stayed in contact and pursued an internship with KB Home. And now he's accepted an offer to join our company.

I have no doubt that when Courtney started USC Law, he never thought about joining a homebuilder after graduation. But he left himself open to the possibility - and a great opportunity.

Now, I've spoken in pretty practical terms about how letting yourself become uncomfortable and building networks in response can help you achieve your career objectives. But I don't want you to go away thinking it's all about ambition and professional advancement.

I mentioned before how people are overwhelmingly attracted to material and emotional comfort. But we are each blessed with an inquisitive mind. And that mind is always capable of absorbing and integrating new ideas and experiences, which continually shape and shift our own points of view.

Over time, that gives us the capability of thinking and acting more creatively - opening the doors to an even richer and more fulfilling life.

I'd like to leave you with a final thought.

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell's terrific book on how social trends are launched, there's a powerful example of how forming networks that extend beyond your comfort zone can produce change. You'll be surprised that the example goes way back to 1775, to the midnight ride of Paul Revere.

We all were taught the story as children. Upon receiving word that British soldiers were planning to seize the guns at Lexington and Concord, Paul Revere rode furiously through the night to warn the people and call up the militia. By daybreak, hundreds of revolutionaries were ready to challenge the British, firing the first shot of our independence.

But what's little known is that there was a second rider that night -- William Dawes of Boston.

He too rode about 15 miles to Lexington, taking a different route than Paul Revere. But there's a reason his name faded into history, instead of becoming immortalized through poetry.

That's because along his route, the militia didn't turn out and the citizens were barely aware of the British approach.

Why two such radically different results?

The answer is networks.

Paul Revere was a silversmith by trade. He wasn't naturally skilled in the multiple fields of commerce, politics and social welfare. But he was a habitual networker, and wasn't afraid to take chances.

Throughout his life, he joined societies, took on causes, launched new businesses, volunteered his service to his community and made friends with people in all corners of New England and from all walks of life.

Dawes, on the other hand, confined himself to the comfortable -- but limited -- neighborhoods of Boston high society. And it's hard to start a war when the only people you know live within walking distance.

Because of his years of networking, Paul Revere knew which doors to knock on in the towns and villages along his route, who was influential and who could mobilize the people. His ride became legendary.

To the colonists along his route, William Dawes was a stranger on a horse screaming into the night.

So when it's time for you to metaphorically shout "the British are coming" - on behalf of something you believe in or even to advance your own career - you'll need a network in place to make a difference.

Don't wait. These seeds take time to grow. Plant them now and you'll have a rich harvest of options when you need them most.

You'll find that if you deliberately let yourself get uncomfortable, you'll discover new passions, and connect with new people that will help you reach any goal you choose. And that's when you'll truly understand all that you're capable of doing.

You might even discover that -- like Paul Revere -- you're capable of igniting a revolution.

Class of 2004, your time is now..

Thank you.