Who would you like to have lunch with? Lunch with Warren Buffett can cost $3.5 million! Do you think you could learn enough in a few hours to justify that cost? People bid for the opportunity to have lunch with Warren Buffett. Last year’s winner was Ted Weschler who wound up getting a job with Buffett. Imagine a lunch with someone like Buffett could change your life. Who would you like to have lunch with?
I can have lunch or dinner with many people for a lot less than $3.5 million! Use your imagination, who would like to have lunch with? Is it a movie star, singer, politician, entrepreneur, model, professional athlete or business person? Maybe it is a poet laureate, comedian, magician, author, fashion designer, economist, astrologer or someone in history. For fun, you can only choose one person to have lunch with. So choose carefully and to make it interesting, you do not even pay for it.
Just to keep it interesting, you cannot pick Warren Buffett because the highest bid wins. I think there are enough other interesting people in the world to choose. Whether you know who it would be or you need time to research, what would you ask him or her? Remember this is not an opportunity to date these men or women instead it is just an interview over lunch. Could it be an opportunity to make a connection? Sure, if your questions are outstanding.
Does it matter to you where the lunch is? Should it be your favorite or their favorite restaurant? Does it matter to you? Is it better to go to Spago (Los Angeles) and risk other people interrupting you? Would it be better to have a private dining room in an out of the way restaurant? Would you rather have the food delivered to an office location? Does any of this matter to you? What would you eat? Could you eat or would you be star struck?
Okay, you meet for lunch and you get past the pleasantries! What would you ask? No marriage proposals because it would be very embarrassing to be turned down and it would put a damper on the rest of the interview. What is your first question? I think that sets the tone of any interview and also tells the interviewee a little about you. You could ask a very general interview question of “tell me about yourself?” Questions are important and you need to spend the time to come up with the right ones!
Some of my questions may be when you are not doing your job, what do you do for fun? When did you realize you would be good at your job? How did you select this particular job? What do you want said in your eulogy? I would also throw in some fun questions such as what is the best part of waking up. Interviews are not fun, so include some fun questions to lighten it up. Perhaps a lighter question would be describe your perfect or favorite meal? What was your first car or job?
Wrap Up
This can be a fun exercise to just fantasize who would you have lunch with or you can actually find someone that you could connect with. This is a great networking tool or opportunity that you should use often. Take someone to lunch to just learn about them is an inexpensive investment. When I was an executive, I took a variety of people to lunch to learn more about them. Most people are relaxed at lunch and pretty open. Your conversation can be mixed with questions that will help you manage them or help you work better with your peers. Have you ever done that?
Who did you decide to have lunch with? Where did you have the lunch? Tell me some of your questions? Please let me know in your comments! Interviewing job candidates has been raised to an art form when it comes to questions. Some of the high tech firms like to ask really thought provoking questions to see how the other person thinks. Questions such as what do you value most in life or describe yourself and do you think people perceive you the same way? Good questions make interviews special and it is true with this exercise too. Who would you like to have lunch with?
Photo by: dennis
This is one of my favorite topics! In fact, we’re giving away a copy of Keith Ferrazzi’s Never Eat Alone (a book on this topic) on our podcast.
I love having lunch with influential people. Not just those people who are influential to me, but just good community members. I usually pick an inexpensive place (deli or casual sit-down) and invite a friend to invite a friend. The three of us usually have a great conversation (often not on business at all). This has lead to many, many business opportunities….but no marriage proposals.
That is great, nothing unusual! Marriage proposals are not a group situation and probably more suited to dinner.
Since this is a fantasy exercise, I’m going to assume it’s okay to choose a deceased person. In that case, I’d lunch with Gandhi. Would have to be a vegan place. 🙂 If restricted to someone still living, I sure wouldn’t waste my opportunity on a businessperson (though Mr. Buffett’s a very likable guy). Maybe Stephen Hawking? I’d let him choose the restaurant.
Interesting choices! What would you ask either of them?
I’ve done this approach before. But I truly have an interest in the other person–skills, talents, endeavors, passions. It’s amazing what you can learn about people when it’s outside a “professional” environment.
I agree, it makes an interesting conversation. I have always sought out people who are more accomplished than me to learn from them. Talking to them over a meal just adds to the excitement.
I am going for Johnny Depp! If I am going to be paying such silly money I may as well have lunch with someone stunning and reputedly nice and intelligent. We may have a chat but it is likely I’ll spend the whole time just looking at him. Shallow, I know!
BTW, the lunch has no added cost! What would you ask him or would you just oogle him.
What fun! Let’s see, I would love to have lunch with … gosh, I’ve been sitting here thinking about it, and you know? It’s Bill Clinton. I want to know what the hell he was thinking letting sex become the focal point of his presidency. I’d lead with other questions, but that’s what I’d like to get to. Of course, I’d want the lunch to be somewhere public — I’d love to be seen interviewing him.
I never thought of the other side of interviewing a famous person. You become the celebrity! I expect he would deny or give an excuse for his behavior.
Definitely Nikola Tesla. We’re headed somewhere where interruptions aren’t a problem, and I’m getting to the bottom of his wireless energy transmission experiments – considering he transmitted way more power than the wireless power we see today.
Of course, I’d bring up the whole “Thomas Edison is a hack” thing and see if I could get him going. It just seems appropriate.
Interesting choice, I presume you want to separate history from lore. Why not?
Wow, this is a tough one. I used to want it to be Buffett, but I’m beyond that. There are so many possibilities, it’s hard to narrow it down, Zvi Bodi a brilliant PhD financial economist, and author of Risk Less and Prosper and Investments.
I think this is a great opportunity to get specific questions answered and explanations of his (investment) strategy. Not exactly light chit chat over lunch, but it is your opportunity.
I would have to go with Steve Jobs. He’s had such an impact in changing our everyday lives. Plus, I’m an Apple fan-boy. As for my question, I would ask him what his second favorite fruit was and then just soak up anything he would have been willing to share.
Good choice, I just read his biography. I think I would enjoy that too.
Fun topic KC! I wanted to think of a profound person, but couldn’t put a finger on one. Since I’m a huge basketball fan, it would be cool to lunch with Michael Jordan. Talk about the sport, business, marketing and also give him an earful about running the Bobcats into the ground!
There are no limits of who to have lunch with. I think Michael Jordan could be very interesting.
OK, this is going to be TOTALLY off the wall, but I’d say the psychic John Edward (not the corrupt politician). Why? Because he could conjure up all the dead celebrities and billionaires and bring them (and their advice) to the table too 🙂
You’re right, it is totally off the wall or outer space! 🙂 Why not, I like the out of the box thinking! There are lots of people in history which would be interesting. Marilyn Monroe, for example to find out if she was murdered to cover up the affair. There could be others.
Basically Mr. Buffet doesn’t want to meet some stranger for lunch hence the abnormal price. But would like to know the source of your information Larry.
It is well publicized that Warren Buffett has a bidding contest and the money is donated to charity. You can check Yahoo news (June 9, 2012) for details.
I would have to pick Richard Branson or Peter Jones. Reason being I think they are both hugely inspirational. I would also like to think that they might want to offer me a job too 🙂
Hidden agenda? I think lunch can be a great networking tool. We should all use it more often to extend our network. Go out and meet people!