In the last days of 8 Days Dad was in negotiations with all sorts of people to save the magazine. One of the options, he swore me to secrecy, is that the Libyans and Colonel Qaddafi would fund the magazine. I don't think he ever considered this seriously, especially not in 1982 when the Libyans were the bete noire of the USA and they were behaving so unpredictably.
Another idea he mentioned is that he and his colleagues could start their own magazine. His idea for the name was Compass.
Dad used to get up at around five every morning to be at the office before everyone else and he would often come home late. He put so much energy into making that magazine work. Every week he had to get out a full 62 page international magazine 80% of which was copy and only 20% of which was advertising.
One day he came home late, very depressed despite the fact that the magazine was doing well. I wondered why. Then, as he went downstairs he mentioned something briefly how people were sometimes disappointing in the way they behaved.
I immediately understood what was happening. As my friend Wordy noted, we look at things holographically, give us a little shard and we can often piece together the whole picture.
I guessed that now that the magazine was a relative success and now that it had won awards and recognition, perhaps some of Dad's colleagues were saying that they deserved the credit for it all. Perhaps they were devaluing Dad's contribution.
I quoted this line from Lao Tse to him which I think is probably the most important thing anyone has ever said on leadership and he immediately cheered up and never forgot it. In fact when I began to elaborate he said. Don't say anything else. That's really helped:
This is one of the terribly wise things Lao Tsu said on leadership and I recommend it to everyone and especially to people who work in politics, who claim they are public servants, who espouse causes and who say they are socialists, communists or anarchists.
17
Another idea he mentioned is that he and his colleagues could start their own magazine. His idea for the name was Compass.
Dad used to get up at around five every morning to be at the office before everyone else and he would often come home late. He put so much energy into making that magazine work. Every week he had to get out a full 62 page international magazine 80% of which was copy and only 20% of which was advertising.
One day he came home late, very depressed despite the fact that the magazine was doing well. I wondered why. Then, as he went downstairs he mentioned something briefly how people were sometimes disappointing in the way they behaved.
I immediately understood what was happening. As my friend Wordy noted, we look at things holographically, give us a little shard and we can often piece together the whole picture.
I guessed that now that the magazine was a relative success and now that it had won awards and recognition, perhaps some of Dad's colleagues were saying that they deserved the credit for it all. Perhaps they were devaluing Dad's contribution.
I quoted this line from Lao Tse to him which I think is probably the most important thing anyone has ever said on leadership and he immediately cheered up and never forgot it. In fact when I began to elaborate he said. Don't say anything else. That's really helped:
This is one of the terribly wise things Lao Tsu said on leadership and I recommend it to everyone and especially to people who work in politics, who claim they are public servants, who espouse causes and who say they are socialists, communists or anarchists.
17
A leader is best
When people barely know that he exists,
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
Worst when they despise him.
'Fail to honor people,
They fail to honor you;'
But of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say, 'We did this ourselves.'
Translation by Witter Bynner
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