Meeting Pedro Pierluisi in San Juan
Walking through Old San Juan, I take in the colorful buildings, the cobblestone streets, and the steady flow of people starting their day. The city feels old and lived-in, but it is also still moving. It feels like the right place to meet Pedro Pierluisi.
We sit down at a small café away from the crowds. He greets me calmly, and after a few minutes, we begin.
“Pedro, your career has taken you through law, Congress, and the governorship,” I say. “How would you describe the way you lead?”
He pauses before answering.
“I try to stay steady,” he says. “I listen carefully, I prepare, and then I act. Leadership is not about performance. It is about making decisions and standing behind them.”
I ask him about the difficult moments he has had to manage.
“When Puerto Rico went through the government bankruptcy process, I worked with the Fiscal Oversight Board on restructuring a large share of the debt,” he says. “It was technical work, and not always visible to the public day to day, but it mattered. It helped create a more stable base for recovery.”
“And later, as Governor, you were dealing with hurricanes and the pandemic at the same time,” I say. “How did you approach that?”
“By staying focused on what had to get done,” he says. “We worked hard on the vaccination effort, on reconstruction projects, and on coordination with federal agencies. In a crisis, people need to see that things are moving.”
I ask what he has learned about decision-making under pressure.
“Preparation matters,” he says. “Before making a decision, I want to understand the issue from every angle, legal, economic, operational. Once I’ve done that, I can make the call and take responsibility for it.”
When I ask what he brings to advisory and board roles now, he answers directly.
“Boards need people who can deal with complexity without adding to it,” he says. “They need people who can stay calm, ask the right questions, and help management think clearly. My background in law, government, and economic recovery helps me do that.”
I ask one final question. “What keeps you interested in taking on hard roles?”
He smiles.
“Because good institutions matter,” he says. “When they work well, people feel it in their daily lives. That is what leadership is supposed to do.”
As we finish our coffee, I look back out at the streets of Old San Juan. The city has been through a lot, but it keeps going. There is something of that same steadiness in the way Pedro talks about leadership.
Maarten Schafer
Chief Storyteller
CoolBrandsPeople
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