Ep 76: Mark Thompson of The New York Times on Honesty

"The Honest Leader". 

Mark Thompson has been the CEO of the New York Times for the last six years.

For the eight years before that, he was Director General of the BBC.

He acts with intention, values the knowledge that comes from mistakes, and cares passionately about the institutions that he is entrusted with and the ideals they represent.

Under his leadership, the New York Times has expanded its number of digital subscribers from 668,000 to over 3 million and its total subscriber base to 4 million.

These numbers are the reflection of a strategic choice - to focus the purpose of the New York Times on news, not paper.

He oversaw a similar evolution at the BBC, guiding the storied and historic broadcaster into the digital age.

When you run organizations with the kind of public profile of the New York Times and the BBC, you come under scrutiny. But against historical norms, it takes a certain kind of leadership to stand in the face of relentless attacks from the President of the United States.

In the era of so-called #fakenews, and at a time when the truth is suddenly up for debate, the characteristics necessary to lead any organization through a time of radical strategic change, would be easy to put aside. 

In our conversation, we cover the role of honesty in modern leadership, the need to create room for people to make mistakes, and Mark's view of where the leaders of Facebook are getting it wrong.