Author: Glenn Rifkin
_Glenn Rifkin_
Reading time: 23 minutes
Synopsis
Future Forward (2019) tells the story of Patrick McGovern’s 50-year journey. He built International Data Group. It started as a small research company with one person. Later, it became a huge global tech media company worth $3 billion. The book shares ten important lessons McGovern learned. He used these to start magazines and newspapers in almost 100 countries. His employees were very loyal, and his publications always kept their independence.
What’s in it for me? Ten lessons for building a strong global business.
On a December afternoon in 1983, Patrick McGovern walked through Computerworld’s newsroom. He went to each desk. He gave out bonuses and talked to every person. This showed who the founder of International Data Group was. He built a huge tech media company from nothing. It grew into a $3 billion global business.
McGovern started IDG in 1964 in a small house in Massachusetts. He started with just one research report. By the time he died in 2014, IDG had magazines and newspapers in almost 100 countries. These included brands like Computerworld and PCWorld, and also the For Dummies book series. The company helped start tech journalism all over the world. It taught millions of people about computers.
But McGovern was not just successful. He started publishing about technology when computers were very big. He went into China and the Soviet Union. Other companies did not do this until much later. He kept his publications honest. This was true even when advertisers threatened to stop spending millions of dollars. He created a special work culture. Employees often turned down job offers from other companies. His 50 years of leading offer useful ideas for building companies today.
In this Blink, you’ll discover how McGovern built his company by following ten important rules. These lessons changed a small research business into a strong global company. They can also change how you lead.
Blink 1 – Clear Plan for the Future
When McGovern started International Data Corporation in 1964, his small new company worked from a rented office. The only link to other countries was planes flying above from Logan Airport. But the company name was not just a dream. McGovern knew that important goals must be big enough to make people act. They must also be clear enough so everyone knows their part. The first lesson is to have a mission that matters, and let people know you’re on that mission together.
McGovern’s mission was simple: “Help the world understand and benefit from information technology.” At age 16, he’d read Edmund Berkeley’s Giant Brains. He became very interested in how computers could make people smarter. Working as an editor, he noticed company buyers really needed good information. Companies selling products only gave marketing. There was no trusted source to help leaders choose expensive technology.
McGovern created that source. He collected information about computer setups. He also made predictions for the future. When he suggested charging $15,000, the CEO of Univac said no. He said people would not trust cheap information. He suggested charging $30,000 instead. A higher price shows higher value. McGovern learned that if you create real value, people will pay. He used this idea for Computerworld too. It started in 1967 as a weekly newspaper that people paid for. Other free magazines were full of company ads. But Computerworld asked readers to pay. Within two weeks, 20,000 people had signed up. McGovern always talked about this mission. He made sure every employee knew they were teaching the world.
The second lesson is to forge a path on the road less traveled. In 1960, McGovern was traveling through Europe. His train was stopped by armed soldiers. He was stopped near Leningrad. He had gone too close to a military area. Most business leaders thought it was impossible to do business in communist countries. But he saw many people who really wanted information.
In 1978, McGovern booked a flight to Moscow, stopping in Beijing. China was starting to welcome foreigners, but travel was still hard. McGovern did not have the right papers. The airline worker asked for a visa. McGovern pretended he only needed to pass through. Landing in Beijing, customs officials were confused. They gave him a temporary travel paper. It was written on thin rice paper. They told him to destroy it when he left.
That visit without official permission helped him work with China’s Ministry of Electronics. Some people did not agree with doing business with communist countries. McGovern did not care about politics. He focused on sharing tech knowledge. By 1993, China Computerworld was making more money than any other newspaper in China. IDG’s Chinese publications had 18 million readers each month. He also started a special fund for new businesses. It began with $20 million. Later, it made over $4 billion. This was from investing in companies like Tencent and Baidu.
Blink 2 – How the Company Grew
As IDG grew in other countries, local managers worked with a lot of freedom. Local teams made hiring decisions. They made their own plans and handled their own money. McGovern understood that leaders in Boston could not understand what was happening locally in cities like Tokyo, Paris, or São Paulo. This was where his third lesson came from: Decentralize. When building a global empire, every market is local.
This was different from how most companies worked. Most companies had rules from the top. But McGovern knew that a magazine that did well in America might not work in Japan if it was just translated. Each market needed leaders who knew about local readers, advertisers, and other companies. Local managers could take new chances quickly. They did not have to wait for approval from Boston. They changed their content and how they did business to fit local needs.
This approach helped the company grow fast. IDG eventually started businesses in almost 100 countries. They started one new magazine or newspaper every two months. The result was a truly global company. But each part felt local. It did not feel like an American company telling other countries what to do.
Giving local teams freedom works only if you find great people to lead them. This is McGovern’s fourth lesson: Identify the warriors. He worked very hard to find people. These people had good business sense, knew a lot about the industry, and had strong morals. They could build teams and handle problems without always needing his help. He was not looking for “yes-people.” He wanted managers who would question his ideas and fight for what their local markets required.
The hiring process showed this focus. When Burgess Needle applied, McGovern gave him an unusual test. He asked him to guess how many houses there are in Newton, Massachusetts. Then, he asked him to guess how many have blue cars in their driveways today. There was no correct answer. McGovern wanted to see how well Needle could think creatively and logically. When Needle got a score McGovern was looking for, he was hired immediately.
He trained his leaders carefully. Hugo Shong met McGovern at a business dinner while studying at Tufts. McGovern saw his talent and hired him. He guided Shong for three years before sending him to lead Chinese operations. When advisors said Shong did not have experience with venture capital (money for new businesses), McGovern disagreed. He saw Shong’s strong drive, smart mind, and ability to work well across cultures. With new duties and help, Shong made IDG Ventures China the top fund for new companies in the country.
Blink 3 – A Culture of New Ideas
McGovern’s fifth lesson is, Let’s try it! Encourage the entrepreneurs. That famous saying did not mean he was careless. McGovern understood that in fast-changing industries, waiting for all the facts might mean missing chances. He liked smart tries more than getting stuck by overthinking. Employees learned they could share their ideas directly. If ideas looked good, they would get help to try them.
This approach led to many new ideas. When David Bunnell suggested magazines for specific computer types, McGovern liked the idea right away. Macworld came out the same day Apple launched the Macintosh computer in 1984. It became very successful. By 1994, it made $30 million each year. Later, when the market slowed down and Apple’s business became harder, McGovern suggested something never done before: joining with Ziff-Davis’s Mac magazines. This new partnership helped the market during tough times.
McGovern’s openness to try new things also led to unusual business ideas. The employee stock ownership plan he created in 1987 was not common for private companies then. McGovern put a part of each employee’s salary into IDG company shares. As the company’s value grew, longtime employees got very rich. Even people not in management retired as millionaires. McGovern viewed this as smart business. It linked what employees wanted with the company’s success. It also meant fewer people left the company. When recruiters approached IDG employees, most said no. They often mentioned owning company shares and McGovern’s care for them.
Failure did not lead to punishment. McGovern accepted that trying new things meant some ideas would not work. What mattered was learning and trying again. When magazines or newspapers did not do well, McGovern worked with managers to understand problems and improve. He never fired people if they made honest mistakes when trying good ideas. This feeling of safety made people take risks. This led to new ideas. Employees knew McGovern supported them, so they suggested big plans instead of being too careful.
McGovern’s sixth lesson was about having the right attitude: The best is yet to come. Optimism is infectious, so use it. Saying the best was yet to come was not just saying nice words. He meant it sincerely, and employees believed it. McGovern truly saw how much good could come from information technology. He also believed his team could use this to their advantage. When others worried, McGovern focused on opportunities. This positive outlook was practical and based on facts.
At 61, McGovern went skydiving to show this idea. He gathered managers. He explained he’d got over his fear of small planes by jumping from one. The message? If he could do something terrifying, they could handle tough business problems. The action worked: employees felt very positive. McGovern understood that when a leader is excited, it spreads to the whole company. He was always positive during tough times. This made employees feel better. It also made them keep trying when it would have been easier to stop.
Blink 4 – Key Ideas for Leaders
In publishing, it is always hard to keep content separate from advertiser demands. Advertisers pay for magazines and newspapers. So, they want good stories about their products. Magazines for specific industries often became just ads. McGovern took the opposite approach. Editors made their choices without thinking about money or business. This was true even if it meant losing millions in advertising. His seventh lesson was about this: Integrity is priceless – never cross the line in the sand.
This was not just an idea. In 1969, IBM sent eight senior managers to try to scare McGovern. They did not like what Computerworld wrote. They asked him to change. McGovern said no in a polite way. When IBM was in trouble with the law about fair competition, Computerworld sent a reporter to cover the trial every day. The paper printed full details from IBM’s own papers. These papers made IBM look bad. IBM leaders complained repeatedly. McGovern did not change his mind. He told his team that if they stopped being independent, they would ruin what made IDG special.
Other advertisers tried to do the same thing. Computer Associates CEO Charles Wang often said he would stop advertising. This happened when stories showed his company in a bad light. Hewlett-Packard stopped all advertising in IDG’s magazines. This was after a writer named Bob Metcalfe wrote something negative. Each time, McGovern did not give in. He understood that readers trusted IDG because it always published honest, fair news. Losing trust for quick money would ruin the company’s name. Surprisingly, these companies usually started advertising again. They knew they needed to reach IDG’s large group of readers.
McGovern gave his business teams a lot of freedom. Managers controlled hiring, budgets, and strategy. But McGovern still kept strict control over money. This was lesson eight: “Loose-tight” leadership builds empires. Every unit sent full reports each month. McGovern studied these carefully. He was checking for patterns and issues. If managers did not meet their goals, they got clear messages from him. Success brought congratulations, but if they kept doing poorly, he would step in to help.
This two-part way of working needed good systems. IDG spent a lot on keeping track of money. McGovern believed correct and quick information was key for local teams to work well. Without reliable numbers, the main office could not tell which teams were doing well and which were struggling. With good data, McGovern could find problems fast and help before small issues became big dangers. He also used performance to find the best ways of working. He would then use good ideas from one market in other places. Leaders met often to share plans and learn from each other.
Blink 5 – Focus on Your People
McGovern’s ninth lesson? Be the chief encouragement officer – never stop cheering your employees on. He sent thousands of “Good News” notes over his career. These were short, handwritten messages on special paper with a rainbow logo. They congratulated employees or just asked how they were. People who got these notes kept them carefully. One journalist kept every note McGovern sent over seven years. The gesture seemed small, but it had a big effect. Employees felt truly seen and important. They were not just names. They were people whose work was important.
The Christmas bonus tradition showed this way of working best. Each December, McGovern spent two weeks traveling to every American IDG office. He personally gave bonus checks to every employee. He also spent time talking with them. He used notes to remember names, family information, and recent achievements. When McGovern stopped at your desk, he knew your spouse’s name. He asked about your kids. He mentioned your latest work. This needed a lot of effort. By the 1980s, IDG employed thousands. McGovern signed 5,000 holiday cards personally each year.
Why make such an effort? McGovern understood people work harder for leaders who truly care. This personal touch was not a trick. McGovern really cared about his employees. He wanted them to do well. But he saw the real advantages. People leaving jobs was costly. Building strong ties meant far fewer people left the company. Recruiters complained they could not hire IDG employees because everyone felt a personal link to McGovern. That loyalty came from his real and steady care over many years.
He encouraged not just individuals but also the whole company. Annual holiday parties had fancy video shows. McGovern and other leaders dressed up as Star Trek people or rock stars. They did funny skits. The videos looked bad – on purpose. McGovern acted as a hero saving IDG from bad competing companies. Everyone understood these as fun ways to make people feel better. They showed what the company believed in. They also celebrated successes in a way people remembered. Employees looked forward to these events. They knew McGovern would act silly to make them laugh and feel good.
And that brings us to his tenth lesson: Love your employees, adore your customers. McGovern always made sure to stay close to his customers. He often visited readers and clients. He asked what they needed and how IDG could help them more. McGovern made customer calls every week himself. This was even when he was the CEO of a company worth billions. He believed leaders should know what customers need directly. Not through other people who might change the truth.
This customer focus affected every choice. When planning new publications, McGovern ordered many surveys (studies). Computerworld came from research. This research showed that tech buyers really needed fair information. Each product launch began by looking at what customers wanted. Not by what IDG wanted to sell. McGovern told employees to focus on customers, not other companies. He said, if you help customers well, you will do well, no matter what other companies do.
McGovern also said business leaders should spend time with customers. They should not just stay in the main office. When Kirk Campbell mentioned having trouble finishing office tasks, McGovern walked him to his office. He opened a desk drawer full of papers and threw it in the bin. He explained that anything truly important would come up again. Everything else was a thing that stopped him from the real work: being with customers.
Final summary
In this Blink to Future Forward by Glenn Rifkin, you’ve learned that Patrick McGovern built International Data Group into a $3 billion global company. He did this by following ten rules that any leader can use.
Start with a strong goal. Talk about it all the time. Go where others don’t. Choose the hard way. Let local teams make decisions. But keep a close eye on money. Find strong leaders. Give them power to lead on their own. Say ‘Let’s try it!’. Encourage new ideas. Stay positive. Share that good feeling, even when things are hard. Always be honest. Never change your values for quick money. Give freedom, but hold people responsible. This is ‘loose-tight’ leadership. Always encourage your employees. Celebrate their wins yourself. And stay very close to customers. Let their needs guide your choices.
McGovern showed each of these rules for 50 years. He always acted the same way. He personally handed out bonuses to thousands of employees. He was strong against IBM and other big advertisers. He went into China and the Soviet Union. Others thought it was not possible. He gave company shares to his employees. Many became millionaires. And he stayed positive through many problems, always believing the best was yet to come.
His story shows that you can build a successful company. You can also treat people with respect. This is the best way to succeed for a long time.
Okay, that’s it for this Blink. We hope you enjoyed it. If you can, please take the time to leave us a rating – we always appreciate your feedback. See you… in the future.
Source: https://www.blinkist.com/https://www.blinkist.com/en/books/future-forward-en