This week on the Building Interest Podcast, we are joined by Larry Lou, the Chief Technology Officer for Leader Bank. Larry is an innovation leader, a Scout Master, and an avid pickup basketball player. He discusses the importance of creativity within the information technology industry, his mentor's impact on his leadership skills today, as well as the obstacles he faced immigrating from China to the United States as a teenager.

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Episode Transcript

Greg Farber:
Whether you're seeking inspiration, wisdom or a fresh perspective on leadership and entrepreneurship, the Building Interest Podcast has you covered. Together we uncover the stories behind the success of groundbreaking leaders to triumphs, the challenges and the invaluable lessons they learned along the way. Our discussions go beyond strategic decision making and delve into the personal hobbies and passions that keep these leaders inspired and grounded in their work. I'm your host, Greg Farber. Let's jump right in. Today we're joined by Larry Lou, Chief Technology Officer for Leader Bank, a leader in innovation. A scoutmaster, an avid pickup basketball player. A lot of things to talk about here today, Larry, I'm so excited. Welcome.

Larry Lou:
Well, thanks for having me, Greg.

Greg Farber:
So why don't we, I know this kind of sounds cliche, but let me just start at the beginning. This is a very loaded question. So we'll see how you how you come up with this. What were you like as a kid?

Larry Lou:
All right, so what was I like as a kid? Well, I would consider myself a very sociable and popular in when I was at school.

Greg Farber:
Okay.

Larry Lou:
But if you have if you really have to ask me, I would think of myself very down to earth, and, but at the same time, kind of have the competitive inside. I think that's kind of a testament of why I'm a basketball player. I enjoy the competitiveness of, of a basketball player player being playing on the basketball court. I enjoy competing with people better than me. And I will enjoy the sense of accomplishment and winning.

Greg Farber: 
So that's really interesting. This idea of you like competing with people better than you, right? And you hear that sometimes. Did that play into any dreams that you had about what you wanted to be when you grew up? Where you were you already playing basketball as a kid?

Larry Lou:
Well, I always wanted to play basketball. I always loved playing basketball and...

Greg Farber:
Where did you go wrong?

Larry Lou:
Well, I didn't get I didn't get to be seven, seven foot like Yao Ming. Ultimately, I'm only 5'8" and...

Greg Farber: 
Muggsy Bogues, was 5'3".

Larry Lou:
Well, I'm not as athletic as he was, but unfortunately, and that was my dream to be an NBA player.

Greg Farber:
Really?

Larry Lou: 
Or play at least at a professional level, but I learned very soon that that is just a dream.

Greg Farber:
Okay. Was there anything else that you were aspiring to? Did you then sort of take that and channel in a new direction as you were growing up?

Larry Lou:
No, no, I kind of stick to that dream. And that's the only thing I dream off. Even nowadays, that I still dream myself dunking.

Greg Farber:
Okay, the basketball, just lower the hoop and you can still dunk.

Larry Lou: 
Well, that's right.

Greg Farber: 
We should go do that sometime.

Larry Lou: 
You know what? Yeah, we should.

Greg Farber:
I had the little Jordan jammer when I was a kid. I don't know if you remember those. They were like the little plastic hoops. And it was like four feet tall. My friend that I destroyed that thing when they were kids. But hey, we got to dunk even though we were little shorties.

Larry Lou: 
Yeah, that's it's all like quick gratification. But yeah,

Greg Farber:
It's not the same.

Larry Lou: 
Not the same.

Greg Farber: 
Okay. So then a big change happened in your life. You emigrated to the United States? How old were you? When that...

Larry Lou:
I came here when I was 18.

Greg Farber:
And did you come with family to come by yourself? What prompted you to to move over?

Larry Lou:
I came for a family reason, I came with my both my parents and my younger brothers.

Greg Farber:
Okay.

Larry Lou:
Yeah.

Greg Farber: 
What was that experience, like? And so I emigrated myself. I came over when I was about four. So I don't really have a recollection of arriving. So as far as I'm concerned, I've kind of always been here. And I'm really curious to hear for you. You've really already gone through a lot of development at that point. What is that? What's that? Like? What kind of obstacles did you run into coming over here and sort of starting fresh as an adolescent or young adult?

Larry Lou:
Well, I think as a first generation of immigrant, like everybody else, the first obstacle always going to be the language Okay. All right. I came I grew up in Hong Kong, I was one I was born over there. I had my most of my education through while I was in Hong Kong. So first So language is certainly the first obstacle to overcome. However, I wouldn't say... it didn't take me that long. To to get get get to meet friends to get together to get accustomed to get customer the you know of my surroundings. I think the biggest obstacle really is seeing my parents struggle as a immigrant because think about it right? They came here when they were at the at that late 40s. And they didn't speak English. They never they never go school for like a formal schooling. Even they went they went to Hong Kong. So for them to come in here. With nothing I have to start everything from from scratch and seeing the struggle through getting, you know, feeding the family finding a job, find a place to find finding a place to stay. That I think is the most difficult part of, of coming in, you know, coming to, you know, to this country. So not so much about myself.

Greg Farber: 
Right, no that's very interesting. What made them want to come over here?

Larry Lou:
Like everybody, I think you probably can may feel that as well is for a better life. More opportunities for me and my brothers.

Greg Farber: 
Awesome.

Larry Lou:
Yeah.

Greg Farber:
Well, to cut to the chase, that seems to have worked out right, like I mentioned, you're now the Chief Technology Officer here at Leader Bank. That's that's pretty prestigious, some lofty air right there. It's a big leadership role. Let me ask you about what is a CTO? In your opinion? Is technology the goal? Or is technology the means to achieve a goal? Meaning? Are you really a technologist? Or are you a visionary who utilizes technology in your role?

Larry Lou:
I will, I will, I will answer that slightly differently. I, I see, as a chief technology officer, there's a perception people think you have to be a technologist to be to be a effective Chief Technology Officer, I think that when in reality, that's not the case, right. Don't get me wrong, clearly you have to be you have to understand technology, you have to know where the technology trend is. But I think more importantly, you have to be acting as a bridge between the technology and the business.

Greg Farber: 
Okay.

Larry Lou:
And also down, you know, deep inside is how you utilize technology to serve our client the right way, and the way they want to be served. So technologist itself won't get you to be to be a chief technology officer, okay, you need to have, you need to have both, you need to have to have a good understanding of the business that you're in, you have, you need to have a understanding of the of the of the trend, as I just said, and I think more importantly, you have to really care about and passionate about what, what you do in your daily duty. And that what it takes to be a good, effective Chief Technology Officer in my field.

Greg Farber:
So is your education and work background in technology only or in other areas that that speak to the skill set that you just mentioned?

Larry Lou:
Well, and for some of the people at the Bank, I want to say everyone but a large group of my colleagues, they know I have a biochemistry degree. I spent years working in a restaurant. So I...

Greg Farber: 
Hold on a second biochemistry in a restaurant. Should we not eat there?

Larry Lou:
No, no, no. And you know, you can walk into a restaurant nowadays with robot and they serve you, you know, you don't even have a human chef and accuse, you know, and the food you still taste okay.

Greg Farber:
You got to invite me out to dinner some time.

Larry Lou:
All right. All right.

Greg Farber:
I gotta have this experience.

Larry Lou: 
All right.

Greg Farber: 
Carry on. So you have the biochemistry background.

Larry Lou:
I have a science degree I've spent years working in a restaurant. Those two built funnily enough, and very interesting enough those those two experiences helped me to become who I am and helped me to be the the technologist or the Cheif Technology Officer that I am.

Greg Farber:
Because of the interactions with people or because of this technology that you used in those. I sense that what you're telling me is it goes with the experience.

Larry Lou: 
It's the experience I but I think more is the mindset is having the right mindset of serving to people understanding what people want. And, and and using the science background and the only thing that I can take away from those four years is you know, having a bio getting biochemistry and getting the degree is the analytical   thinking of handling and dealing with problems or so I like to put a put in a way. As a scientist, you always want your, there's a term called reverse engineering. Like I call it reverse thinking, okay, when there's a problem in front, on in front of me, I don't know necessarily only think of the solution right away. I like to think about what would solution A, B and C does? And then reverse that thought process?

Greg Farber:
How did we get to the problem, right?

Larry Lou:
Because I write because I, I, I want to know more I care more about the process to get to the solution, or the type of the specific solution, then, then the solution itself, that makes sense

Greg Farber:
will suggest making a real fix as opposed to a quick sort of slap a bandaid on it type of fix.

Larry Lou:
Yeah, in some ways. That's correct. Yes, that's accurate.

Greg Farber:
So then now in your role, you're building and leading technology systems and teams here with with Leader. I mean, that's a very complex undertaking, we obviously have lots of different technology, that that we leverage the the sheer amount of technology and banking today is just huge compared to even what it used to be a few years ago. So how do you foster that culture of innovation, problem solving collaboration, sort of these these aspects that you mentioned, within your teams? Because you're not hand you're not the hands on guy doing?

Larry Lou:
You can never be a hands on guy.

Greg Farber:
So So you have this vision of innovation, problem solving, collaboration, whatever. Now you have to lead a team doing that, how do you how do you do that?

Larry Lou: 
Well, you can, I can never be done, you can never be in a hands on guy, right? I mean, because we all have 24 hours a day, seven days a week, then you just suggest there's so much stuff going on, from the business request from the new project and enhancement work, new feature getting rolled out system getting upgrade, you know, we just talked about the data risk component of things. So there's so much going on, in at in a bank at Leader Bank, and nobody, no one person can do all that work. So the most important thing in, in my view is to, to create the culture, the team culture that people will take ownership, any members of my team, we are strong believer of owning the task. And my job is to make is to make sure that I provide the necessary resources so that they can own the task. So not necessarily me getting involved on a day to day, but more I will say, Hey, John, or hey, Nancy, you know, is there anything I can do to help you to, to get the work to get your work done? I think that's is the big, big piece of my work, and my views and my responsibilities now. And then we also want to create a culture not only owning the responsibility, but let them grow and let them learn and let them experience that extent that assignment, that tasks that they they're working on. And let them fail to. I mean, sometimes.

Greg Farber:
Absolutely. So I'm hearing, you know, we talk about empowering team members a lot. And, you know, we know that building a system isn't just running cables, and installing network switches and applications and things. It's so much more than that. But if you let someone own that process, then they can do it better and more independently the next time.

Larry Lou:
And then it can also teach other people to do it next time.

Greg Farber:
Right. So you mentioned before, one of the things that you need to do is to stay on top of the changes in the technology, right? So our industry is evolving, technology is evolving. On the negative side, the threats are evolving. You mentioned data risk and things. How do you actually stay ahead of that curve to make sure that your team has the most current most appropriate solutions available to meet those ever changing sort of needs, demands risks within our industry?

Larry Lou:
So I would say about 15 years ago, I build a habit that the first moment I wake up every morning, I spent about 30 minutes reading news. It could be a technology news, it could be a what's going on in the cybersecurity world. It could be a financial news, it could be a world news, whatever it is. I spend I dedicate my first 30 minutes of each day to watch the news or to read the news. And I encourage all my team members do that too. As you just mentioned, technology evolves, things happening surround a running us evolve, not just technology of itself, right right assume there are business is happening now that there are there are business event that's happening right now. Right. And and so it's important for us to build that habit of dedicate a small piece of a small portion of your day. And, and and read about what is going on around you.

Greg Farber:
But not just the latest tech blog, no any can be impacted by by the role or the support that we need to

Larry Lou:
Abosultely and a good example, OCC, our, our, you know, the bank governing regular, you know, regulators, they might release something, a new guideline, for example? Well, it might not have it in mind that it has nothing to do with the technology, because that's a is a is an is it is changing how the bank should process. You handled that data, okay, right. And, but that piece of that little piece of information would allow me to be a step ahead of thinking about, wait a minute, if this is a new guideline that just got published this morning, I should be ready, to have the right technology or to have the right system to be in place in case to meet that guide, the new guideline,

Greg Farber: 
When a different department wants to bring in a new product or something that now falls under that you're already aware that this potential guideline exists.

Larry Lou:
I think that's very important too. Because you don't want you'll never want to, especially when you in my role, you don't need to play  the catch up game. You want always to be a little bit ahead of everybody.

Greg Farber: 
Well, I think that's the fear, right? The news always makes it sound like the criminals are always ahead of the good guys in technology, right? Because they're always there, they find some new vulnerability and then people have to play catch up. And to not feel like you're behind to be ahead. I think that's that's kind of what I'm getting at is. That's part of part of your role and understanding where those needs are.

Larry Lou:
Yeah, absolutely. And, and the only way to, to be staying on top of it is to designate some time, right out of your day, to be dedicated to it.

Greg Farber:
So speaking of things evolving, and we're going to keep in mind, this is a podcast of opinions where we have that handy dandy disclaimer at the end that says the opinions expressed by Larry Lou are those of him and not the Bank. Right? I want to know, what's your take on AI? And is that something that you see replacing a lot of human work? Or is it currently create new opportunities? How can we find a way to live with AI? Right? I mean, has the word artificial right in it? And how can we still be able to tell what's real from what's what's fake?

Larry Lou: 
Well, that's a lot. You packed up a lot of questions.

Greg Farber:
Yeah, I'm just really I'm just really curious, your take on AI? Not in the sense of, would we allow it at the business, but just personally, your take on an AI? And so how that's evolving, that that larger landscape that you talk about?

Larry Lou:
Well, I think AI itself means a lot of things, right? It is a very wide range of cover, right wing of technologies. It it covers include data analytics, include machine learning, it also include large data modeling, large, large language modeling. And to me, you hear the news every day you wake up in morning. So technology has been doing this for 20 years. I still we call really way back. You know, people are so afraid of the internet, right? People say well, the internet's gonna Is this the Skynet of the Terminator. No, no, it's gonna take over the world. Well, that was 20 plus years ago, that didn't happen. All right now. And then you have to cloud about 10 years ago, more and more or less. People say, Oh, well, everything's going to be sitting in the cloud, you know, we're going to lose control of the cloud, your data will be seen in the cloud that you have no control. Well, to certain extent, that's true. Because much just many of the data now is in an account, like your Facebook data, right, your your, your little, your post, your blog, those are sitting in the cloud, right. But the cloud actually, you know, eliminate a lot of work. No, I would argue no, because what really does technology that I just mentioned about the the internet, the cloud, that's creating more work, they're creating more work for people. For the right people. Okay, all right. Now, if you take the AI, that people think, oh, yeah, people AI is going to be placed, you know, 40% or 80% of the workforce. I thought I think I read, something like that, you know, some news article

Greg Farber: 
Not gonna happen huh?

Larry Lou: 
In reality no, no. Would that we play some work through automation? Absolutely. But I'm more than...

Greg Farber:
You think there'll be new opportunities.

Larry Lou:
Exactly. I'm more looking at AI as a tool as a utility that will help us to take on more work. Okay. Right. So it's just like Excel. Right? Well, Excel is a tool, right? For you a lot of people using Chat GPT to write resume, right. So instead of spending five hour 12 hours writing your own resume, well, you you Chat GPT to help you choose to write a resume, at least on it in, you know, in the form of template to get your kick started in just five minutes. And then, so from think about the efficiency there, from five minute from from nine, from eight hours to write a resume, to down to five minutes. Well, what are those remaining seven hours that you can well, you can use all the remaining seven hours with us in so many different things. So I think AI is a tool that will propel us to do more. And it will, it will we eliminate some some very repetitive work. But I think the potential of more opening up the window of more work, I think that will make AI as our as a technology. A very interesting one.

Greg Farber:
So you see it almost as as a partner going forward as something that we can leverage for efficiency and large data analytics. And not so much as the threat that it's sometimes it's painted in the news.

Larry Lou:
While you use the word threat there right now, there's a dark side of AI that people have been talking about. It's just like the dark web, right? You can do so many, so much. You can you can do a lot of whole lot activities on the dark web that nobody know about. Well, you think nobody does.

Greg Farber:
But theres a lot of ethical questions. Right. So we don't have to get into all that.

Larry Lou:
So so but AI does have the potential of you know, it's the unknown, that people that that is the uncertainty, the unknown that people worry about. But I think with a collective human mind, and all the technologists that's, you know, working on this technology, I'm not it doesn't really concern me a lot.

Greg Farber:
Nice, ya know, you said, I gave you a lot to unpack you did a great job. That was a very thoughtful answer. I appreciate that. Thank you. A lot of good insight, actually, for me as well. Personally, I'm interested in following these things and hearing different perspectives and not just what you hear on the news, I think is really important for people to hear. So speaking of important things for people to hear, going back a little bit to your career path and the path you took to get to where you are today. Is there a particular piece of advice that you've gotten in your time that really resonated with you that stands out as this this, this was a really impactful thing that someone once said to me.

Larry Lou:
I will share two different pieces of advice. One is more on the personal level. And the second one is more professional. Right now for the professional for the personal advice. One, one of the piece that I receive from somebody who I work he's he's the founder, original founder and CEO of a venture capital firm based in Boston. Not going to name that person. Many many years ago, I will call he told me once a Larry, if I can give you the best one one advice I can give you is there are so many external things that we as a human don't have control off. But there's one thing that you can control and we all are in to a large extent we all have control, it's spending how much going back. You cannot control the other how much your boss is paying you right or how much things cost or or your your invest your return of the of your investment, but you're also not in your control. But you can true you can choose what you purchase and you can chose to buy a cup of Starbucks or a cup of Dunkin Donut, right? So, one of the piece of advice that I really is still up to this day still resonate meet are resonate to me a lot is look at your spending be frugal and also at the same time be financially disciplined. And he used to he used himself as example he say if I will not be if I don't save up you know use the first 20 years of you know from my work, I will not have the the capital Oh, to start a venture capital as a venture capital firm. And when he told me that when I was I was I was, in my early 20s. You know, I was thinking about buying a BMW, I was spending all this money, you know, modify car was just one of my hobby when I was younger, was that resonated with me that hit hard pick that up too hard to me. Because I left I always think about, how can I be financially secure, even when I was very early on my age, but I didn't know how to do it. Until he told me Be frugal, and be disciplined. So that's the personal.

Greg Farber:
That's great.

Larry Lou: 
For the professionals...

Greg Farber:
That's the financial advice, that we advertise as having on the podcast.

Larry Lou: 
Yeah. And I And don't get me wrong, I just shared this with my son as well, I have three handsome boys. And I share that with them also.

Greg Farber:
That's great.

Larry Lou: 
Now on the professional advice. I think the is I will say it is work smart, and be diligent. And that was I learned that from my life mentor. You know, he's a, he's somebody I look up to. He is somebody that I and by the way, I strongly encourage anyone to find a mentor. All right, both, it could be a personal friend, it could be a fairly established person that you get to know off. But always have a mentor, you know, in your life. So he gave me a really good piece of professional advice. He told me, Larry, you have to work smart, and be diligent about it. I'm always be the one in the room, that I work everybody else. And, to me, my personality, as I say, I'm very sociable, I love talking. I really don't take the work too seriously. And my younger age, but he taught me how to be how to look at my job and look at my job, and treat my job as a profession. And that's, that changed me.

Greg Farber:
So that really connects into something I want to talk about, which is balance, right? So you've given us two wonderful pieces of advice. One about being financially smart and saving up and one about treating your job as a professional and and really being the best in it that you can be. On the other hand, there's this debate between do we live to work? Or do we work to live. And some at some point, you also want to spend some of your money on yourself for things that are fun, whether it's modern cars, or or taking trips, or whatever it is. And sometimes you want to have fun at work. And you don't want to just have your head down and be so efficient and dialed in all the time. You want to have fun conversations and get to know the people you work with. But let's take that outside of work for a second. How do you balance that strong financial and professional ethic that you just described? With the things that keep you happy in your personal life? How do you balance those? Do you make the time and the money to take care of of Larry?

Larry Lou: 
Yes, I do. I am happy to report that I go to gym three to three days a week. I still play excessive basketball.

Greg Farber:
Excessive?

Larry Lou:
Excessive as well, like two to two days a week.

Greg Farber:
Good.

Larry Lou:
Well, I mean, let's go back to your question about the balance. Finding a balance. I think about the word balance means very different, has a very different meaning to many people.

Greg Farber:
That's probably true.

Larry Lou: 
You know, like some people like my, my father, he loves working. Like he works from Monday or Sunday to Saturday 10 hours a day, 12 hours a day, but somehow it makes him happy. But that's makes him happy. Right? Then I also have get to know a lot a lot of my friends, they don't like to work, they don't enjoy working. They want to say they want to go to a different they want to, you know to have travel on the world. That's okay, too.

Greg Farber:
Maybe they're in the wrong job.

Larry Lou: 
So I wouldn't comment on that one. But I think I think it's it's knowing, knowing yourself and asking yourself the questions. Am I happy? Am I comfortable? of where I am.

Greg Farber:
Right, Right.

Larry Lou:
And constantly asking you that questions and challenging yourself to say, You know what I need a break, right? I don't look at work as a work. I look at work as part of my life. So when I get called on a weekend or when I I have to, you know, drop everything and answer a support ticket. I'm fine with it. Because it's a piece of it's a part of my life.

Greg Farber:
You're not working hard because someone told you to, you're working hard, because it's part of your, because the goal that you're after, right?

Larry Lou: 
Because I enjoy working hard. And, and it's part of my life. Now, if you look at life as well, you know, if you if you don't, if you treat work as a work, then you're gonna have problem with it. Right? And you'll be like, wait a minute, why am I work putting in eight hours a day to dedicate to something that I don't enjoy doing? Well, because if you look at it as just an income, that's a wrong way of thinking.

Greg Farber:
So is it fair to say then that part of your approach to work life balance is finding a purpose?

Larry Lou: 
True. Yes, finding a purpose, and finding a purpose that makes you happy.

Greg Farber:
Right.

Larry Lou:
And I think it's really it. And it's also important as I bring back is the word passionate. You have to be passionate about what you do. If you've, if you think about when I go spend time playing basketball going to the gym. I don't feel that I'm wasting time. You know why? Because it's something that I passionate about, right? It's something I love doing. Well, same thing if I go into work. I don't I don't think not in the moment and I feel oh, this work is kind of dull. You know why I'm spending here why I'm spending time doing this? Well, I don't feel that well, because I enjoy and I passionate about what I do.

Greg Farber:
Right.

Larry Lou:
Yeah. So it's it's the mind game again. Right? So finding the balance, is ask yourself the question and be honest with yourself, Am I doing something that I'm really passionate about? Okay, and then also say, Well, you know what? Well, I spent about 10 hours, if you spend 10 hours in the office, I think it's time for you to walk away and take a no like a new fresh breath of air. Right? So yes, there's a balance to it. But I think more importantly, instead of just thinking about the balancing is think about something that you're passionate about.

Greg Farber:
The balance isn't something that there's a recipe for you ask your look at yourself, it's more I know what's important to you, and tailor your balance to that and right. Love it. Okay, we're gonna go to a segment here that we're doing new this year, called, what would you choose? And we're going to ask you a series of questions, this or that, and just kind of rapid fire you tell us what you prefer. And feel free to elaborate a little bit. It's just a kind of a quick speed dating on the podcast. Wow,

Larry Lou:
I'll try my best.

Greg Farber:
All right. What's more important, optimizing the current or implementing something new?

Larry Lou:
Optimizing, optimizing.

Greg Farber:
Yeah,

Larry Lou:
The current.

Greg Farber:
Now that speaks to me. I don't have great innovative ideas. But I'm great at tinkering. But is that what you're saying? Would you rather be proactive or reactive?

Larry Lou: 
Oh, proactive. Yeah, that's it. That's an easy one.

Greg Farber:
Now, as a CTO, this is a funny question, right. And I think we've already kind of teased where you're going with this more creative or more technical,

Larry Lou:
Creative.

Greg Farber:
I knew you were gonna say that.

Larry Lou:
Definitely creative. That's the only that's the single most important character for everybody is being creative. Very modern, more modern than than brilliant. Or be smart, is to be creative.

Greg Farber: 
Now, this one, we mentioned both of these words in the last segment, and we we didn't really say them as an or they both came up in the same context, you have to pick one. passion or purpose.

Larry Lou:
Purpose.

Greg Farber:
Really, now you have me fooled I thought you were gonna go with passion. Because when I said purpose before, the balance has to have a purpose. You came back and you said, it's all about the passion

Larry Lou:
And well, I have an answer for that, too. When I was a younger, passion is more important. Because if I'm not passionate about something, you're not going to be happy about it. And you'll enjoy doing it. Okay. But as you get older, having a purpose. The word purpose mean more to me now. Okay. Because you will always look back and say, Okay, well, I've accomplished all this. I have a great family. I, I did. Okay, with my professional career. Now you start thinking about, I'm getting to this point, what's the purpose, right? Of and I do want to, and then I'll also add another word, legacy.

Greg Farber: 
So it's a contextual thing. The passion changes into a purpose to end.

Larry Lou:
Yes. So I said like a time timeline. So timetable.

Greg Farber:
So who's the greatest basketball player of all time and why is that? Michael Jordan,

Larry Lou:
Michael Jordan? No doubt. Michael Jordan is the GOAT.

Greg Farber:
But that wasn't the real question. The real question was do you have a favorite player now? Maybe that is Michael. But do you have a favorite player? Do you have a favorite player now?

Larry Lou:
I have I have a favor. You mean NBA player?

Greg Farber: 
I mean, it could be any basketball.

Larry Lou:
I actually don't have I don't mean like immortalize anyone.

Greg Farber: 
No. You see it as more of a team sport

Larry Lou:
Its like part of the day just good at what they do.

Greg Farber: 
Larry Lou, the greatest Dunker ever?

Larry Lou:
They're good at what they do. As I said, you know, they're just good at what they do. I wouldn't, you know, immortalize them. I wouldn't. You know, I don't have anybody. You know, like, I will say, you know, it's my parents, of course, right. And my parents is my role model. And my lifetime, my lifelong mentor. They're my role model. Yeah.

Greg Farber: 
So last thing, last segment, this is again, something we're doing new this year, is when we set up for the show, we asked you to do a little bit of homework. And we asked you to bring something, something that inspires you something something, a story. Anything that you want to share that that's just something important to you that maybe we haven't touched on yet before. So my question is, what did you choose to share? And why is it important to you?

Larry Lou: 
Well, I didn't bring it with me because I thought it was not appropriate to to bring that to a podcast.

Greg Farber:
Oh, yeah, we definitely want to know what it was.

Larry Lou:
A little bottle. This is also coming from my, my mentor. Okay, I remember. I was a I was still there was many, many decades ago, I was still a an IT support guy working on a help desk. And one day he walked in with a bottle of Crown Royal, and said Larry, this is a gift from from from me. And I want and, and it's a tradition that he carries on from his dad. And he gave me a bottle of the Crown Royal and he told me like, Larry, we will only open this bottle when we accomplish something together as a team. Okay, I'll say oh, you know, I was in my early 20s. And I said, Okay, well, cool, you know, but but he said, Well, you have to leave it in your office. Don't take it anywhere. Don't take it home. Okay? Don't don't drink at all. The only time you can open the bottle is when we accomplish something as a team. Well, I ended up worked for him for about eight years, we maybe get half a bottle like half of the we only get to the half, half half bottle. There's still a lot left when so. So I carry that bottle with me to everywhere I go. I carry that bottle

Greg Farber:
Except the podcast apparently.

Larry Lou:
Except the podcast because I was told by by the legal team that I'm not supposed to bring alcohol to the podcast. Now, I took that same bottle with me when I was when I got when I got the job in. In Hong Kong. I relocate to Hong Kong for a couple of years. And I took that same bottle with me to Hong Kong. I bought the same bottle with me to Japan to New Delhi to everywhere I go. When I have my office, I will take that bottle with

Greg Farber:
And you just carry that meaning forward everywhere.

Larry Lou:
And I take that meaning forward.

Greg Farber: 
That's amazing.

Larry Lou: 
And then one day I actually finished that bottle. And I call him up say I actually just finished that bottle. Can you send me another? He said, Larry, don't worry, I got you. Send me another one. That was about 15 years later. Wow. sent me a second bottle. So I'm still working through it. There's still a lot on left. But um, but that's that's that's a little tradition

Greg Farber:
We might not have it on the table in front of us. But that is great.

Larry Lou:
You know where but well, you know where it is now. It's in my office.

Greg Farber:
I'm going to have to come find it, cheers.

Larry Lou:
Now, you know right now. Now now, you know.

Greg Farber:
All right, Larry, that not only was that an awesome answer, and I love that story. That's that's super inspirational. It's personal. I love it. I really want to thank you for coming on today. I had a great time. I learned a lot about you. Any last thoughts you may want to leave for our listeners here today? Well,

Larry Lou:
No, I just wanted to share. I've thank you again for inviting me to the podcast. I really enjoy doing this. I wish hopefully I can do more. But that's fun.

Greg Farber: 
Yeah, absolutely.

Larry Lou:
I think it's fun. I think it's fun.

Greg Farber:  
Well, thank you, Larry. Don't forget to subscribe and rate our show. The Building Interest Podcast is live on all podcast platforms, YouTube and Tiktok. We want to hear what you think of each episode and encourage you to submit your questions that you want us to cover. So please find us on our YouTube Tiktok or other channels and comment your thoughts All opinions expressed by Larry Lou are his own and not the opinions of Leader Bank, N.A.. For more information on today's subject, visit leaderbank.com. In addition to past episodes, you can also find our corresponding blog entries for more insights. This podcast is a production of Leader Nank an equal housing lender and Member FDIC. NMLS number 449250