“Mind on, Hands off”

LESSONS ON LEADERSHIP FROM BOB WOODWARD

I had the unique opportunity to hear Bob Woodward, who along with Carl Bernstein broke the Watergate Scandal, speak in a private session to the Blackburn Institute at the University of Alabama.  Bob was asked the question, “What advice would you give to students about leadership?”

Instead of giving points on leadership, or even discussing one of the seven Presidents he has interviewed,  he told the story of Katharine Graham, owner of the Washington Post.  By describing the key points of one of their discussions about the Watergate story he emphasized these key points:

• She was “mind on, hands off”.    Meaning she hand her mind on the details of the business but did not micromanage.   She turned people loose to do their jobs.

• She knew what business she was in and had a statement of purpose to direct that business.   This gave her the ability to take risks and have patience to develop stories that drove her business.  She didn’t look at chasing the stock price or correcting issues with the quick fix, instead she focused on doing the business she was in, which she knew would lead to positive results.

• She had a “never, don’t ever tell me never” mentality.  Which led to results like Pulitzer prizes and exposing hard truths.

What story of a true leader can you tell?