Denver: We are going to do Take Five with Carroll Bogert, the President of The Marshall Project. Are you ready Carroll?
Carroll: I’m ready.
Denver: What idea in philanthropy is ready for retirement?
Carroll: Pass.
Carroll Bogert
Denver: What should we be worried about?
Carroll: This is really hard. We should be worried that your local newspaper is not going to have the [unintelligible 0:28:22.9] to tell you how power is being abused in your city and state.
Denver: What is one of your favourite documentaries or movies?
Carroll: One of my favourite documentaries is Strong Island, about a family where the son is killed. It’s a family in Long Island. The son is killed and his killer was never brought to justice and the family, guess what, is black.
Denver: What is today’s most underreported story?
Carroll: I think today’s most underreported story is why there’s so many women in prison and why is that number rising so quickly?
Denver: What is something you believe that other people think is just insane?
Carroll: I believe that media, the much maligned media, are actually worthy of charitable support. We’re important to the society. We’re not trying to do bad, some of us are trying to do good. And please recognize the difference.
Denver: What is the most important thing that makes for a healthy organizational culture?
Carroll: Listening to your own staff. Not acting like a giant corporation that issues directives. Having all staff meetings and just talking about how the business is going. People are shocked when you do that. I think it’s obvious.
Denver: What have you changed your mind about in the last 10 years and why?
Carroll: I have to pass or we can come back to it later.
Denver: If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be?
Carroll: Fork. Stick it to them.
Denver: What do you wish people were more open and honest about?
Carroll: their feelings. Stuff when you mess up, just say it.
Denver: If you were to start your career all over again and do something completely different and away from this field, what would it be?
Carroll: Nursing. Just taking care of people.
Denver: What’s your superpower?
Carroll: Bandwidth. I have a very wide bandwidth. I can juggle a lot of balls.
Denver: If you can have one gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say?
Carroll: Be kinder.
Denver: What is something, whether it’s related to your work or not that you are exceptionally excited about right now?
Carroll: My younger daughter is super happy at college. It’s making me so happy.
Denver: What are you reading now?
Carroll: I am reading four different books which means I have to choose one. But I really recommend Elizabeth Strout’s new short stories. They’re just beautiful.
Denver: What topic would you speak about if you were asked to give a Ted Talk on something outside of your main area of expertise?
Carroll: Family. The importance of family.
Denver: What is something about you that very few other people know?
Carroll: I’m so transparent. Everybody knows everything about me. I don’t have any secrets.
Denver: Given the choice of anyone famous in the world, dead or alive, that you could have come over as a dinner guest, who would you invite?
Carroll: Oh, duh. President Obama.
Denver: What advice would you give to your 25-year old self?
Carroll: Just the most important thing in your human relationships is to connect yourself to people who understand kindness and believe that kindness is the cardinal human virtue.
Denver: And finally, do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
Carroll: I do but it’s in French. It sounds pretentious but it’s tout comprendre, c’est tout pardonner, which means to understand everything is to pardon everything. If you really take the time to understand someone, you’ll forgive them of their flaws.