CAN I BORROW A DOLLAR

PUBLISHER'S PEACE

Pioneering Journalist Dies at 88

Guest Correspondent: Robin Robinson

"This is the first of a two-part series about an amazing man who inspired so many, but non greater than his talented and much respected daughter, who has become pioneering in her own right. You can believe that Mr. Robinson died an extremely proud father". - CDW

The young Louie Robinson at work Born in Dallas, Texas in 1926, LOUIE ROBINSON defied the odds of a time when America denied the existence of Black excellence, let alone the tools with which a Black writer could emerge to chronicle such things. Robinson not only showcased some of the nation’s most famous symbols of Black achievement, he exposed their humanity in such a way that readers might see themselves in the stars. Sidney Poitier was first interviewed by Robinson in 1955 before the Bahamian born actor was well-known. But he had been cast in the film Blackboard Jungle by a major studio, which made him newsworthy to Black readers. “We were to meet at MGM and trying to figure out how we would recognize each other,” Robinson said in a recent interview, “ then it hit us: if you’re there, you are one Black man. I will be the other one. Poitier describes the passing of the writer who became a friend and collaborator as a major loss. “Never in my life have I known a better man. His life was an experience that will leave behind memories of major importance. In his life from which many humane experiences have arisen to the benefit of so many of his fellow human beings, he has always stood strong and he has always reached out to those in need,” expressed Poitier. When he joined Johnson Publishing Company in the late 50’s, the timing was just right for a self-taught newspaper man looking to open the world like a book. Black stars were emerging on stage and screen in sports, politics and business – and demanding equal access and attention. After Robinson was promoted to West Coast Editor of Ebony Magazine in 1960, his stories graced the covers for the next 30 years. He fulfilled a passion and worked to fill a void he first noticed as a child growing up in Mineral Wells, Texas. In his yet unpublished memoirs, Robinson writes about what was missing at the time:

Mr. Robinson “I listened to the radio, read newspapers, witnessed life as presented in the movies; and in time I studied American civics, not yet quite realizing that these were devoted to the White version of America,” as described by MR. ROBINSON Known for his engaging writing style, integrity and a passion for facts instead of gossip, ROBINSON won the respect of those he covered over the years. His articles profiled the struggles and triumphs related to making it big in a system intent on keeping Black people small. Sammy Davis Jr. was a member of the storied Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop, but while he performed to packed houses at Las Vegas casinos, the entertainer’s Caucasian valet still had to place his bets for him. No Blacks were allowed at the gaming tables. Many of the people ROBINSON wrote about became lifelong friends, including Davis, singer Nancy Wilson, tennis champion Arthur Ashe, comedians Nipsey Russell and Bill Cosby, baseball pioneer Curt Flood, and most notably, Poitier, with whom he helped organize two books nearly 30 years apart: This Life (1980), and Life Beyond Measure (2008). Robinson also wrote the first book on Ashe, Arthur Ashe: Tennis Champion (1970) and was chosen by Maria Cole to co-author her late husband’s life story in Nat King Cole, An Intimate Biography (1971). Robinson’s talent for writing was first nurtured by an English teacher who took note of a poem he was tinkering with. Though the Black high school in segregated Mineral Wells, Texas lacked sufficient books, resources and even accreditation, he was at least able to graduate. That luxury was afforded because his grandfather, James Umphrey Wyatt, worked one of the few good jobs available to a Black man at the time – a hotel porter. That meant his grandson did not have to quit school as soon as he was ‘big enough’ to be hired labor. Education was treasured in the Wyatt household. Robinson’s mother Bessie insisted her only child learn to type in hopes that he would land ‘inside’ work. (Continue in tomorrow's edition of TBTNews)

C.E.O. EXCHANGE

What If We’ve Misjudged CEOs?

Contributing Correspondent: Ted Santos

In the 1950s, the US was responsible for about 30% of international trade. Today, the US accounts for only 10%. After WWII, much of the world was in shambles. They depended on the US to supply capital, labor, services and materials. In the 21st Century, those same countries that depended on us are our competitors.

The CEOs of the 1950s had it easy compared to CEOs of the past 20 years. Business was predictable back then. Market size and customer demand grew at a steady and manageable pace. In today’s global market, third world countries have become our competitors and suppliers of raw materials, labor and finished products.

Furthermore, companies like Wal-Mart qualify in size to be one of the top 15 largest countries in the world. Being the CEO of Wal-Mart can be more complex than being the President of the 10th largest country because Wal-Mart’s employees are all over the world, while the President of a country has its citizens in one central geographic location. From that aspect alone, the complexity of serving as CEO to a global enterprise in 2015 towers the challenges of a company from 60 years ago.

With that said, to remain competitive and relevant in a global economy requires thinking and actions that may have never existed in the history of business. As a result, many CEOs have taken risks for which there was no guarantee the new strategy would work.

What am I getting at? The US has been on a witch-hunt for CEOs over the past 20 years. While CEOs are no different than other professions, in that, there are good doctors and bad doctors, good priests and bad priests, etc. The knowledge, skills and competencies required to run a global company with hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue and hundreds of thousands of employees is unprecedented in recorded history.

I ask you to consider that there may have been times when the CEO approved a brilliant new plan or service/product that had never been done. And it would give them a competitive advantage. In the beginning, things went well. However, as the success grew, there weren’t sufficient feedback loops to indicate there may be trouble on the horizon. In other cases, good intentions can have negative ripple effects with the various stakeholders.

In addition, in a publicly traded company, these new opportunities can be positive on a short-term basis. Shareholders are happy and the stock price goes up. When a mistake happens, the reaction may be to sweep it under the rug, for the sake of keeping shareholders happy. Over time, the little mistakes become a dead elephant under the carpet. And you get Tyco, Enron or Worldcom. The original intention most likely was benevolent. Except, the organization was not structured to handle unprecedented growth of new products/services. While the old organizational structures were great for business as usual, especially a company from the 1970s and before, they could not support the demands from the past 20 years.

Why does this matter? I ask you to consider that there may be much more benevolence in the intention of CEOs. From the outside, it appears they are greedy. When you are in the seat of the CEO, it appears you need knowledge, skills and competencies that have never been required to run a business. Since we have not had corporations of this size and complexity in world history, there is nowhere to acquire this knowledge.

Therefore, it is made up and learned as on the job training. From that perspective, it is easy to see how good intentions can go wrong. In a world of short-term quarterly demands, CEOs are doing a great job of continuing to grow organizations and competing in the global marketplace.

What do you think? I’m open to ideas. Or if you want to write me about a specific topic, connect through my blog www.turnaroundip.blogspot.com.