Chad Gifford

Chairman emeritus of Bank of America

When my wife and daughters first suggested the idea of a book, I was reluctant as it sounded too personal and perhaps even egotistical. But they pushed me to at least sit down with Rob and hear about the process. I quickly learned that his easy-going manner combined with the expected process would be interesting, enjoyable and worthwhile for our family. At the beginning it was clear that Rob has a talent that immediately establishes a sense of trust. This in turn created an openness and willingness to recall all sorts of memories, many that I had long since forgotten.

On the professional side, Rob’s research helps guide events that impacted my career. I found that the more we talked the more past events came to life. The positive and the troublesome became easy to discuss and ponder. Surprisingly, Rob became enthusiastically curious about banking’s evolution which helped generate many interesting discussions. He also talked with five former bank associates in order to gain a broader perspective. In each case, they got back to me and noted positive and candid conversations. My wife Anne is the only other person to read the draft and she was amazed to read and understand what went on in the transformation of the banking landscape.

On the personal side we started with the early years with parental and sibling relationships. Rob asked lots of questions about the impact childhood might have had on the evolution of character and attitude. It was very thought-provoking. We went through teenage years including education, romances (!), marriage, and fatherhood—all the way up to my fifty-seventh Father’s Day. Rob talked with Anne, our four children, and a bunch of friends. He urged me to explore how these experiences continued to affect my priorities and values. Once again, Rob’s professional style continuously evoked interesting self-reflections. Through his research he even discovered a previously unknown wife of my paternal grandfather!

It's been a great experience. I hope it will be as interesting and fun for our children, grandchildren, and future generations (family only!). Anne has just finished the entire draft and she too was very enthusiastic. Thank you, Rob!