Mike Hunter

Michael James “Mike” Hunter was born in Enid, Oklahoma, on July 2, 1956. His parents, James Chester Hunter and Phyllis Merle Hunter, ran a wheat and cattle farm near the Pioneer School, east of the town of Waukomis. Mike Hunter grew up working on the family farm, feeding cattle, driving the tractor, hauling hay, fixing fences, and fishing and hunting in his spare time. He attended Pioneer from kindergarten through the 12th grade, graduating in 1974. In high school, Hunter was a three-sport letterman and student body president.

In 1974, he enrolled at Oklahoma State University on an engineering scholarship but ultimately earned a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1978. While at OSU, he was a member of the student senate, president of Blue Key, and a Top Five Senior Man. He also maintained a 4.0 in his history courses.
Hunter was accepted to the University of Oklahoma College of Law in 1978 but took a gap year to work before starting law school. At OU, he was elected president of the student bar association, won the practice court award, and was named to the Phi Delta Phi honor society. In 1980, he was chosen as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Detroit.

Hunter was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar Association in the fall of 1982 and began practicing as an oil and gas lawyer. His career in public service started in 1984 when he was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. After three terms in the legislature, he was frequently called to serve the state in varied and significant ways: as general counsel of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, 1993-1994; chief of staff to Rep. J.C. Watts, 1995-1999; secretary of state from 1999-2022 and 2016-2017; director of the Oklahoma Land Commission, 2009-2010; first assistant attorney general, 2015-2016; and attorney general from 2017-2021.
His public service career was interrupted by two tours of duty in Washington, serving as chief operating officer of the American Council of Life Insurers from 2002-2009 and COO of the American Bankers Association from 2010-2014.
Mike Hunter is married to Kimberly Callahan Hunter, the Oklahoma Insurance Department general counsel. They have four children and two grandchildren.

What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?

I try not to sleep past 8AM… bedtime is often after midnight. I eat a bowl of cereal (cracklin’ oat bran) and take my vitamins. I then review my schedule and work plan which I (almost) always review before bedtime and set out to seize the day. My work days are an even split between my office at home and my law office. Most of my busy work is done at home, my law office is the situs for meetings with clients, other lawyers and to prep for court or meetings at the state capitol. Eisenhower once said, “In planning for battle, I have always found that plans are irrelevant but planning is indispensable.” My interpretation of that is you’ve got to have a general idea of what you intend to do but remain flexible and capable of making adjustments when circumstances change in order not to be OBE’d, military jargon for “overcome by events.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Well, some of my ideas don’t deserve to live.
🙂
Eliot said, “Between the idea and the reality falls the shadow.” Sometimes I’m unable to successfully address the obstacles that stand between something I’m inventing and its pathway to being realized. Getting past that is the most nettlesome part of taking something from the abstract to the concrete, with apologies to the Stanford professor who remarked on the 1906 earthquake’s toppling of the statue of Louis Agassiz onto the sidewalk, “Aggasiz was great in the abstract but not in the concrete.”

What’s one trend that excites you?

Tough question…can’t think of any megatrends that excite me. I am concerned that the damage Donald Trump has done to democracy, the rule of law and our country may be irreparable.

What is one habit that helps you be productive?

Despite my previous answer, I’m an optimist…I frequently tell myself and others, “Every problem has a solution.”

What advice would you give your younger self?

You did well, just do not let it go to your head.
Great conversation in the movie Broadcast News:
Tom Grunnick: What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?
Aaron Altman: Keep it to yourself.

Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?

I believe that there can and will be a meeting of the minds between the science and the economics of addressing climate change.

What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?

One hour of vigorous exercise three to four times a week. And frequent long walks.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?

Stop. Itemize and analyze the things that are making me feel under siege. Then prioritize their exigency and develop an approach to handling .

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?

Don’t paint yourself into a professional corner. Assess career opportunities based on whether they provide you with more future options, not fewer. That may require you to make a lateral move in order to provide yourself subject matter expertise in an area you are deficient in and enhance your credentials.

What is one failure in your career,  how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?

Someone once said, “Trust few, listen to many.” I’ve made it a habit of trusting people until I’m given a good reason not to. It’s worked well for me most of the time, when it hasn’t it’s
been harmful. The lesson I’ve learned is that little things matter, my worst experience with betrayal could’ve been avoided if I’d have taken inventory of the accumulated small warning signs I ignored. I was troubled by what I was seeing but told myself, “he can’t be that devious.” Beware of sociopaths…they’re around and hard to spot.

What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Spend time carefully vetting new hires. It limits your exposure to problem employees if you are discriminating. Background checks are indispensable…past is most often prologue, good and bad.

What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

My smart phone. I’m able to deal with problems while they are manageable. Most problems don’t get easier with time.

Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?

Malcolm Gladwell’s books. His compelling assaults on the traps of conventional wisdom and superficiality have transformed my approach to policy and problem solving.

What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?

The Boys in the Boat, movie and book. Uplifting and energizing, a reminder of what American exceptionalism once meant and maybe still means to many of us.

Key learnings

• Be humble but confident. It’s more important to get it right, not get your way.
• Learn continuously by exploring other’s ideas and remembering your experiences, good and bad.
• Know where you are going in life but be open to course corrections when you need to make them.