The First Billion Is the Hardest by T. Boone Pickens

Here's the reflective autobiography of the most recent years lived by T. Boone Pickens. He's the natural gas and alternative energy advocate/trader whose television commercials promote his passion to make the US energy independent. I have to admit that the title is what amused me enough to check the book out of the library and the endearing but usually verging on crude down-home Texan proverbs kept me reading. This man doesn't do anything on a small scale but he relies on "accurate analysis, the nerve to take risks, and the ability to act" along with a core team of trusted advisors to set his course. Even when he turned to philanthropy, he acted magnanimously but very strategically. Using creative non-traditional fundraising tactics, competition, Pickens takes charge. "We like results", he explained...We know where we want to make a difference. We find people that have the leadership skills and the capacity to make a differenece, and we fund them..." The 80+ year old still works out every day, runs a big business, and sets new bars for his colleagues, adversaries, and beneficiaries at a pace that doesn't stop. His tempered wisdom moves fast but it is carefully layered in the words of this very honest reflection so that every reader who takes his advice will gain ground.

T. Boone Pickens, The First Billion Is the Hardest, c. 2008, Crown Publishing, NY