2022 Lincoln Hills excursion: the perfect setting for leadership lessons

The Lincoln Hills summer excursion to the Boulderado Ranch featured an inspiring talk by billionaire Colorado native Robert F. Smith, who reminded young leaders in attendance to achieve all they can in their careers but never forget to give back.

Smith, who owns the ranch and has a summer home there, spoke to the 43 attendees (leaders, Archons, Archousai, and guests) for nearly an hour on Saturday morning, July 16th, 2022.

The private equity investor and philanthropist talked about his proud upbringing in Denver and learning from elders “about how society worked,” often writing down their various insights. He described the secret to success as “talent combined with discipline.”

After excelling at engineering at Cornell University and later business school, he confided that he was still unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. The commencement speaker, whom he remains with friends today, took him aside at his University of Denver graduation and told him he should consider going into investment banking.  “I had no idea what that was,” he said. But he soon learned about Wall Street and parlayed that into a career, later starting Vista Equity Partners in 2000.

“A lot of my philanthropy is based around STEM programming and enabling our people to participate in what is called the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said. “If we do not participate in that we will be left out for another generation or two. So, it’s critically important that we embrace education-centered opportunities. Land ownership is a great thing, but I will tell you that owning stock in tech companies is even better. And owning tech companies is even better than that!”

He was asked about the importance of networking in his life and dropped this pearl of wisdom: “The true value of networking is to understand exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish and what you need to enable that. And then figure out what you can contribute as a participant in the networking environment.” 

Smith urged the incoming freshman to get as many internships as they can during college. “It is important to understand the landscape of opportunities out there. When I was 17, 18 or 19 years old, did I know what I wanted to do? No. But the internships helped shape, on the one hand, what I didn’t want to do and on the other hand helped me see what was really exciting. But unless you get exposure to (career opportunities), it is almost impossible to divine what might make you a happy, productive citizen.” 

He also urged the students to work really hard in college. “Get the best grades that you can,” he said. “You may not believe this, but it opens more opportunities. You may not necessarily be more successful in life because of that, but there will be more opportunities for you the better grades you have.”

Finally, he stressed the importance of giving back to the community. Reflecting on his decision in 2019 to pay off the student loans for that year’s Morehouse graduates, he said: “I hope they will want to contribute back to the community in ways where they can liberate 400 more students. So, think about what you can uniquely do that others can’t to liberate the human spirit. And then do it.”