I’ve been reading Katharine Graham’s memoir, Personal History, on the suggestion that it provides a perspective on unplanned shifts and changes in life. In Katharine’s case, she and her husband were running The Washington Post, having taken over from her father (who bought it in 1933). In 1963, Katharine’s husband died by suicide and she took over to become President and Publisher.
Lest you think that this is just a story of a wealthy family’s foray into the newspaper business, Personal History is 648 pages and well worth it. Katharine is so forthcoming with her imposter syndrome after taking over in 1963. But what has stuck with me is that as a company, whose raison d’etre was to be what I’ll simplistically say, “the best newspaper in Washington DC,” so much corporate activity was dedicated to buying and selling radio stations, news magazines, local papers, etc. This activity, while still being about news, aimed to create resources and revenue that could keep the organization focused on their core business: The Washington Post.
I don’t know about you, but this realization kinda blew my mind 😬 (am I the only one who didn’t think of companies that way). But I guess it’s the same as hospitals, universities, and other non-profits that have well-managed donation relations programs? And public sector having taxes?
My previous employment is almost exclusively with non-profits, and the private ones were very small and not yet doing any buying/selling. I’ve realized that this has profoundly shaped the way I think about employment and the expectations I have of organizations/companies concerning their commitment and loyalty to their customers and employees.
And even though the spark of this reflection might be obvious, my theory is that more people than not also think of work in that way. They want to enjoy their work, have an impact, and be treated with respect. And in that way, re-orgs, re-structuring, layoffs, canceled job postings, venture funding, etc. beget the phrase, “it’s just business,” even when your day-to-day is undeniably impacted.