Denver: We are going to do Take Five with Linda Rottenberg, the President and CEO of Endeavor Global. Are you ready Linda?
Linda: Yes.
Denver: What should we be worried about?
Linda Rottenber
Linda: I’ll go with Elon Musk and AI.
Denver: What is one of your favorite documentaries or movies?
Linda: Gladiator, Russell Crowe. I’ve seen that 20 times.
Denver: What is today’s most underreported story?
Linda: The rise of entrepreneurs outside of Silicon Valley.
Denver: What idea in philanthropy is ready for retirement?
Linda: The word nonprofit.
Denver: What is something you believe that other people think is just insane?
Linda: That’s my whole life. I have to choose one? I don’t know. Every time I open my mouth, people pretty much say I’m insane. Too many to choose from.
Denver: Name some organization or person that you have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for.
Linda: Warby Parker and Neil Blumenthal, who claims that he applied for a job in Endeavor, and we stupidly, did not hire him. But I think that it’s a great place to work and it’s a great culture. So, I’ll go with that.
Denver: What is the most important thing that makes for a healthy organizational culture?
Linda: The ability to tell the boss when he or she is wrong.
Denver: What have you changed your mind about in the last 10 years and why?
Linda: I didn’t think Endeavor should be in the United States, and I was wrong.
Denver: When was the last time when you were voluntarily disconnected from all your devices?
Linda: Every meal with my daughters.
Denver: If you were a kitchen utensil, what would you be?
Linda: I would be a spatula.
Denver: What do you wish more people would be open and honest about?
Linda: The fact that we’re giving too much power over to social media as parents.
Denver: If you were to start your career all over again and do something completely different and away from this field, what would that be?
Linda: I would love to be an Italian chef.
Denver: What is your superpower?
Linda: My superpower is believing in the dreams of other people.
Denver: If you could have one gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, what would it say?
Linda: “Crazy is a compliment.”
Denver: What is something, whether related to your work or not, that you’re exceptionally excited about right now?
Linda: The fact that my daughters who turn 13 in two weeks still talk to me.
Denver: What are you currently reading?
Linda: I’m about to read the Tiger Woods book. I just finished reading my friend Jenny Egan’s amazing novel, Manhattan Beach. It’s incredible. It’s about the first female diver at the Brooklyn Navy yard. It’s a historical fiction, Manhattan Beach, and it’s fabulous.
Denver: What do you think about when you’re driving in the car alone?
Linda: Well my husband would say, I don’t drive. I Uber. This is a source of marital tension. So, if I answer that question, I will be berated for lack of honesty. And maybe my answer to what people should be honest about is whether they drive or not.
Denver: What topic would you speak about if you were asked to give a Ted talk on something outside your main area of expertise?
Linda: Life with identical twins.
Denver: What is something about you that very few other people know?
Linda: I learned to Tango when I was in Argentina, and I was with the National Argentine Football, that means soccer, Federation during the entire World Cup in 1992. I followed them around.
Denver: What advice would you give to your 25-year-old self?
Linda: I’m worried if I gave advice, then I would defy that. ‘Cause I don’t like to be told what to do. I’m happy with my path. So, I don’t think I can give myself advice… other than maybe: Invest in Warren Buffett, I don’t know.
Denver: Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
Linda: Two. 1) If you’re not called crazy when you’re starting something, you’re not thinking big enough. 2)When everyone else says open doors? Close them.