Thomas Mueller-Borja measures success by consistent improvement and purpose-driven drive. The people who rise rapidly are not just smart, but are self-starters with "hustle" who can self-regulate their emotions and work collaboratively. This blend of IQ and temperament is the "special sauce."
Raising billions isn't a single meeting. It’s a lengthy process of due diligence where investors vet the team, track record, and operations. Thomas Mueller-Borja jokes this requires "high levels of serotonin" to handle the long timelines and frequent rejections.
Despite digital tools, Thomas Mueller-Borja travels constantly for in-person meetings. He believes physical presence is crucial for building the deep relationships and trust—the "energy flow"—necessary for long-term partnerships with institutional investors in private markets.
To improve decision-making, BlackRock's investment committee, guided by a behavioral scientist, uses autonomous voting to prevent peer pressure. It also mandates a non-voting "challenger" to play devil's advocate and champion a pre-mortem perspective, ensuring dissent is valued.
Thomas Mueller-Borja attributes his success in difficult situations to a core, almost "delusional" belief that he can do anything. This optimistic mindset is essential for taking risks and coping with uncertainty, but it must be paired with a practical team that can translate vision into execution.
Thomas Mueller-Borja views honesty as selfishly practical, as dishonesty is energetically draining. However, he places kindness higher in his value hierarchy. In situations of tension, choosing the kind path may trump absolute honesty, especially when recognizing that everyone holds their own version of the truth.
Thomas Mueller-Borja demystifies large-scale fundraising by breaking it down into a numbers game. To raise $2 billion with an average ticket of €50 million, you need 40 investors. Assuming a 20% conversion rate, this requires building and maintaining a prospect funnel of 200 global leads.
Described by his psychologist wife, Thomas Mueller-Borja's "White Knight Complex" is an obsessive need to adhere to a moral North Star. If presented with two choices, he will seek a third, better one if neither meets his ethical standards. This trait can be powerful but also infuriating in disagreements.
Thomas Mueller-Borja's typical day highlights the intense global nature of his role, juggling investment committees across continents from a hotel room before meeting local clients. This demonstrates the extreme demands and time-zone management required in senior global finance.
Thomas Mueller-Borja subscribes to a holistic framework for personal performance. By optimizing sleep (using tech to increase deep sleep by 25%), exercising, meditating, and maintaining strong relationships, he creates the mental "spaciousness" that allows him to enter a flow state and do great work.
When central banks in high-debt countries cut rates, the long-end of the yield curve may not fall, preventing real estate cap rates from compressing. To benefit from rate cuts, BlackRock's strategy focuses on countries with healthier balance sheets where this transmission mechanism is more likely to work.