The Fastest Tortoise - by Ken Hersh (Hardcover)

About the Book

Life lessons from an investor who forged his own path to success

Through their entertaining conversations, Ken Hersh and his interviewer, best-selling author Steve Fiffer, recount Ken's improbable life journey, both personally and professionally. And what a journey it has been! Knowing nothing about the energy industry, Ken ventured in and ultimately helped pioneer an investment methodology that built one of the country's most successful private investment firms and has been copied by dozens of firms to become the dominant means by which capital flows into the domestic energy industry. As a fearless young capitalist, he never shied away from raising his hand. He says, "I viewed every opening as a gaping opportunity. The uncertainty kind of excited me."

The Fastest Tortoise is about not just weathering the unknown but embracing it and thriving. Structuring his story around "Ken-isms" that define his personal and professional philosophies--such as "yellow lights don't turn green," "be uncomfortable," and "feed the ducks while they're quacking"--Ken demonstrates how to approach a volatile world.

Ken's path, from planting his flag in an industry where an investment model had to be reinvented, to creating a culture in which colleagues and staff felt like family, to pursuing a second career in the nonprofit sector, gives leaders and entrepreneurs of all stripes ample examples from which to draw valuable lessons, inspiration, motivation, and confidence. With his honest, in-depth tales of the ups and downs of his business and personal dealings, we get an inside look at how this optimist has successfully navigated life and business.

Book Synopsis

​Through their entertaining conversations, Ken Hersh and his interviewer, best-selling author Steve Fiffer, recount Ken's improbable life journey, both personally and professionally. And what a journey it has been! Knowing nothing about the energy industry, Ken ventured in and ultimately helped pioneer an investment methodology that built one of the country's most successful private investment firms and has been copied by dozens of firms to become the dominant means by which capital flows into the domestic energy industry. As a fearless young capitalist, he never shied away from raising his hand. He says, "I viewed every opening as a gaping opportunity. The uncertainty kind of excited me."

The Fastest Tortoise is about not just weathering the unknown but embracing it and thriving. Structuring his story around "Ken-isms" that define his personal and professional philosophies--such as "yellow lights don't turn green," "be uncomfortable," and "feed the ducks while they're quacking"--Ken demonstrates how to approach a volatile world.

Ken's path, from planting his flag in an industry where an investment model had to be reinvented, to creating a culture in which colleagues and staff felt like family, to pursuing a second career in the nonprofit sector, gives leaders and entrepreneurs of all stripes ample examples from which to draw valuable lessons, inspiration, motivation, and confidence. With his honest, in-depth tales of the ups and downs of his business and personal dealings, we get an inside look at how this optimist has successfully navigated life and business.

About the Author

Ken Hersh
Ken Hersh's life has been a series of historical accidents. His story is of a Dallas native who, after graduating from Princeton and Stanford, ventured into the energy industry with no specific training and cofounded and ultimately served as CEO of NGP Energy Capital Management. At NGP, he helped pioneer an investment methodology that enabled NGP to become one of the nation's largest and most successful private investment franchises in the natural resources sector.

Along the way, he found time to make a big impact on his broader community, both nationally and locally, through the efforts of the Hersh Foundation. Ken is known for giving both financial resources and his time to the numerous organizations in which he becomes involved.

As a second act, again with no specific training, he raised his hand in 2016 to assume the leadership of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, where he oversees public engagement activities and a significant policy institute to support President and Mrs. Bush's priorities of freedom, opportunity, accountability, and compassion. His work to help advance the strategic plan and increase the organization's endowment fivefold has ensured that the Bush Center will thrive far into the future.

Additionally, Ken manages his family investment office, which invests across the industrial, financial, sports, entertainment, technology, and real estate industries. He sits on numerous boards and spends considerable time mentoring operating executives. He is a prolific writer and a sought-after speaker on topics ranging from energy to geopolitics to economics and finance. When not at his ranch fly-fishing, he can usually be found at his desk working.

Steve Fiffer
Steve Fiffer is a highly decorated New York Times best-selling author who has collaborated with former secretary of state James A. Baker III, former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia Robert Jordan, the late civil rights icon Dr. C. T. Vivian, and others on their memoirs. He has a unique ability to draw out the human side of his collaborators. In addition, he is a prolific author, having written some seventeen books, several screenplays, and a plethora of articles about business, sports, and his personal journey. He graduated from Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School.