Page 60 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
way it was a mirror of Graham’s self-assessment of her abilities. Although she
had been a reporter in her twenties, she certainly was no businessperson. She
took the helm out of family duty; her father, Eugene Meyer, had owned the
paper, and Graham wanted to keep it in the family.
Despite her role as publisher and owner of the Washington Post Company,
Graham was very much a creature of her upbringing. She did as she was
taught; she deferred to men: first her father, then her husband, and later the
male executives in her own company. She illustrates her naiveté in quotes
taken from a Women’s Wear Daily profile of her written in 1969, in which she
admits, “I guess it’s a man’s world. . . . [M]en are more able than women at
executive work and in certain situations. I think a man would be better at this
job I’m in than a woman.” 9
LEADERSHIP AS LEARNING
In her autobiography, Graham attributes her success as a publisher and as a
businesswoman to men. She extols Ben Bradlee, the crusading editor who
stood behind reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein during the Water-
gate investigation. She also credits his journalistic integrity for helping to
make the Post a great newspaper. Graham is warmly laudatory of financier
Warren Buffett, who after buying a stake in the Washington Post Company
became a sort of financial mentor, helping her to learn the business side of
publishing. 10
Graham’s learning process stemmed in part from her ability to listen. She
was comfortable with asking questions and integrating lessons into her
actions. Complementing her listening was her writing ability, often expressed
in letters. For example, she speaks of the letters she and Bradlee exchanged
annually; it was their own private feedback on each other’s performance. Such
letters are a good way to air issues, settle accounts, and give due acknowl-
edgement for success. 11
Graham’s views are not that remarkable. As one of the few high-profile
businesswomen of her era, she had no female role models or peers. She was
literally a pioneer in her field. What she demonstrated was her willingness to
learn from others. She was not threatened by the presence of brilliant people.
In fact, she relished their company. And the lessons she learned helped to give
her the confidence she needed to become the leader she was capable of
becoming. The sum of her collected learnings can be found in her auto-
biography, Personal History, which subsequently won the Pulitzer Prize.

LEADERSHIP RESOLVE
Inside her company, she also could be tough. Right after Watergate she went
toe-to-toe with the pressmen’s union, which was resisting modernization