Lesson #2: Commitments Never Come Without a Cost
Lesson #2: Commitments Never Come Without a Cost
At over six feet tall, Luce had a striking presence. As soon as he entered a room, his gleaming bald head could be instantly noticed. But, what made Luce all the more striking was not his appearance, but rather his opinions, which undoubtedly preceded him wherever he went.
Luce was a visionary, thanks in large part to his being the son of an American missionary. He believed in the power of America for good, and of its necessity to triumph over evil. It was along those lines that Luce saw his role as a journalist. It was a “calling,” according to Luce, a profession that would allow him to educate in a positive way.
In the early days of Time and Life magazines, little of the content had any overarching focus. But, as Luce began to take a later interest in public affairs, so too did his magazines begin portraying his beliefs. If Luce opposed a policy, his magazines did not follow too far behind. During World War II, Luce even began framing news stories in such a way that it made America’s entry into the war seem “inevitable.” After all, this was supposed to be “the American Century,” according to Luce, where the U.S. would become “the Good Samaritan of the entire world.”
But Luce’s devout commitment to his causes did not come without its costs. Almost since they got their start, Luce’s magazines were panned by critics. Time was called biased and “the most successful liar of our time”; Life was told it made too many compromises to boost circulation. One biographer even wrote, “The Lucepress had led, not followed, the nation into war,” and that Luce stood guilty of “manipulating 50 million people weekly.”
For both the kinds of stories he presented and how he did so, Luce was continually criticized. But for Luce, that was the price he had to pay to stick to his vision, to maintain his commitments. And, he was willing to do so.
Luce deliberately looked for ways to change both the nature of the news itself and the ways in which it was relayed. Where other publishers and commentators stepped back, Luce was not afraid to plow forward. Time Inc. was his company, and he was going to push his views whether people liked it or not.
As it turns out, most of the ones that mattered most – the consumers – did like it. It was because of his unique style and brash assertiveness that people found conviction and something to stand by in Luce’s publications. Critics could complain all they wanted, but with the consumer on his side, Luce was in it to win it.
Lesson 2 Commitments Never Come Without a Cost
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“It is sometimes said that the people are ahead of the politicians; it can also be said that journalism ought to be ahead of the people. Otherwise, the people are ill-served,” said Luce. “As a journalist, I am in command of a small sector in the very front trenches of this battle for freedom.”
At over six feet tall, Luce had a striking presence. As soon as he entered a room, his gleaming bald head could be instantly noticed. But, what made Luce all the more striking was not his appearance, but rather his opinions, which undoubtedly preceded him wherever he went.
Luce was a visionary, thanks in large part to his being the son of an American missionary. He believed in the power of America for good, and of its necessity to triumph over evil. It was along those lines that Luce saw his role as a journalist. It was a “calling,” according to Luce, a profession that would allow him to educate in a positive way.
In the early days of Time and Life magazines, little of the content had any overarching focus. But, as Luce began to take a later interest in public affairs, so too did his magazines begin portraying his beliefs. If Luce opposed a policy, his magazines did not follow too far behind. During World War II, Luce even began framing news stories in such a way that it made America’s entry into the war seem “inevitable.” After all, this was supposed to be “the American Century,” according to Luce, where the U.S. would become “the Good Samaritan of the entire world.”
But Luce’s devout commitment to his causes did not come without its costs. Almost since they got their start, Luce’s magazines were panned by critics. Time was called biased and “the most successful liar of our time”; Life was told it made too many compromises to boost circulation. One biographer even wrote, “The Lucepress had led, not followed, the nation into war,” and that Luce stood guilty of “manipulating 50 million people weekly.”
For both the kinds of stories he presented and how he did so, Luce was continually criticized. But for Luce, that was the price he had to pay to stick to his vision, to maintain his commitments. And, he was willing to do so.
Luce deliberately looked for ways to change both the nature of the news itself and the ways in which it was relayed. Where other publishers and commentators stepped back, Luce was not afraid to plow forward. Time Inc. was his company, and he was going to push his views whether people liked it or not.
As it turns out, most of the ones that mattered most – the consumers – did like it. It was because of his unique style and brash assertiveness that people found conviction and something to stand by in Luce’s publications. Critics could complain all they wanted, but with the consumer on his side, Luce was in it to win it.
Lesson 2 Commitments Never Come Without a Cost
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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