Future Forward: Leadership Lessons from Patrick McGovern, the Visionary Who Circled the Globe and Built a Technology Media Empire

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LESSON ONE

Have a Mission That Matters, and Let People Know You Are on That Mission Together

If you listen to what people want and you respond, then you do very well.

—PAT MCGOVERN

Of all the leadership lessons he took to heart during his long career, McGovern intuitively grasped one of the most important early in his career. In order to build a successful enterprise, you have to identify a clear mission from the outset and find effective ways to share that mission with your people. Before Google and Facebook turned hiring into a science and carefully screened every new hire, McGovern pulled together an eclectic and enthusiastic group of young employees for his fledgling company in a less analytical but highly effective manner. He shared the ...