Foundations
What we go after.
How we go after it.
"It seems to me that the most important thing in life is to have good principles because they determine one's approach to life."
Foundation I
We Celebrate Virtue and Enterprise.
"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst."
Two things are true. Virtue and enterprise are rare. They are not celebrated enough.
We live in a cynical age. What is celebrated is often not what should be. What should be celebrated often is not.
At HIGHTOWER, we are in a unique position to know people and see work which should be celebrated. Given this responsibility, we hold a high standard for virtue and enterprise — and a default to celebrate when we see it.
We don't laugh at honor. We celebrate it. We encourage it in others. We tell stories of those we know that inspire honor. We esteem and aspire to the same.
We don't reward cynicism. We elevate authentic optimism, integrity, and moral clarity. We celebrate those who exhibit this.
We don't minimize good and true principles. We marvel at the gravity that results from the leader who lives by them.
We don't hollow out meaning. We live and tell the stories where virtue is the only possible overflow.
When we see virtue and enterprise, we celebrate. We encourage. We shout from the rooftop what is good, true, and beautiful when we see it in others.
Foundation II
We Take the Narrow Road to Deserved Trust.
"The safest way to try and get what you want is to try and deserve what you want. It's such a simple idea. You want to deliver to the world what you would buy if you were on the other end."
There is no hack to deserved trust. The path is a long, narrow road that compounds based on daily actions. It has to be.
We treasure seeing what deserved trust does in the families, companies, relationships, and lives of the people we serve. Each would be the first to say how much they fail. And still, there are principles that transcend.
We consider our character of first importance.
We highly regard and esteem the character of others.
We tell the truth. Especially when we make a mistake.
We are comfortable in our own skin. We know who we are. We seek to have an ease about us.
We don't falsely compare. We mourn when others mourn and rejoice when others rejoice.
We don't take shortcuts. Every moment counts.
We do this in community. With friends who want the best for us, who tell us the truth.
And we know any fruit from the trust we earn is grace. This grace fills us with clean fuel to steward what we have been given and serve others well.
A Letter
This Is Good.
A letter for the HIGHTOWER network of investors, sponsors, builders, and stewards. Observations on trust, capital, and the craft of building things that last. Written by Trevor Hightower.
Read on Substack