Harvard Business School

Play

Transcript

I didn't get a charge from McArthur. He said, "How would you like to do this?" I thought it was swell. I mean, I thought a lot of the Review. I published in it all the time. But he asked me whether I'd be interested, and I said yes. I didn't know what the job entailed, particularly. But early on, I'd have meetings with McArthur, and say something about what I was thinking, or trying to do. You know, make it more readable without sacrificing the authority. Be sure you've got a balance of articles, so people in different functions felt they were covered. Not just all about Macy's, or United States Steel problems.

So I was thinking of that, and also thinking of functions that had to be covered, because the audiences are interesting. You know, you get high-level executives, but a different kind of high-level. You've got controllers, you've got treasurers, and you've got human relations people, and you've got CEOs, and they're all separate audiences. And they have to feel that that magazine is good for them, and useful for them. And make it more readable for them, particularly. I was always very impressed with how Business Week ran. Still am. They touch all the bases beautifully.

And so that was sort of my notion. And I went back and I said, "That's one of the things I want to do." And he was always encouraging, always. You know how John is. But I immediately made a lot of mistakes—a lot of mistakes. I was not a very friendly guy at the Review. I was not a very consultative person. I didn't listen to anybody, really. I talked a lot, but only after I'd already gone ahead and made a lot of mistakes.

I wasn't kind enough—or kind, period. And I was, I think in retrospect, sort of arrogant, and non-consultative. . . .

But I knew that I wanted to make some substantial changes, because I wanted to make it more readable. I wanted to make it look more friendly. I wanted to have it retain, at the same time, its authority. And I wanted it to be important in the world of affairs—to say important things for important people.