Future Forward summary

As IDG expanded internationally, country managers operated with exceptional independence. Local teams made hiring decisions, established plans, and managed finances autonomously. McGovern understood that executives in Boston couldn’t grasp local conditions in cities like Tokyo, Paris, or São Paulo. This was the basis of his third lesson: Decentralize. When building a global empire, every market is local.

This contradicted traditional business thinking that emphasized top-down management. But McGovern recognized that a publication succeeding in America might fail in Japan if simply translated and imported. Each market needed leaders who were familiar with local readers, advertisers, and competitors. Country managers could move quickly, seizing opportunities without waiting for Boston’s approval. They adapted content and business models to fit local conditions.

McGovern’s fifth lesson is, Let’s try it! Encourage the entrepreneurs. That signature phrase wasn’t reckless. McGovern understood that in rapidly evolving industries, waiting for complete data could mean missing opportunities. He preferred intelligent experiments to analysis paralysis. Employees learned they could pitch ideas directly, and if concepts showed promise, they’d get the resources to test them.

This approach spawned innovations. When David Bunnell suggested magazines that focused on specific platforms, McGovern supported the idea immediately. Macworld debuted the day Apple released the Macintosh in 1984, becoming enormously successful with $30 million in annual revenue by 1994. Later, when the market sagged and Apple’s fortunes declined, McGovern suggested an unprecedented move – merging with competitor Ziff-Davis’s Mac publications. The joint venture protected the market during difficult years.

In publishing, the boundary between editorial content and advertising pressure is constantly tested. Advertisers fund publications and naturally want favorable coverage. Trade journals often became marketing vehicles. McGovern took the opposite approach. Editorial decisions remained completely independent from business considerations, even when independence cost millions in lost advertising. His seventh lesson tied into this: Integrity is priceless – never cross the line in the sand.

This wasn’t theoretical. In 1969, IBM sent eight executives to intimidate McGovern. They disliked Computerworld’s coverage and suggested changing course. McGovern politely declined. When IBM faced antitrust proceedings, Computerworld assigned a reporter to cover the trial full-time, publishing detailed daily coverage of internal documents that painted IBM unfavorably. IBM executives complained repeatedly. McGovern never budged. He told his team that if they compromised journalistic independence, they would destroy what made IDG valuable.

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: brief handwritten messages on distinctive rainbow-logo stationery congratulating employees or simply checking in. Recipients treasured these notes. One journalist kept every note McGovern sent over seven years. The gesture seemed small, but its impact was profound. Employees felt genuinely seen and valued; they weren’t anonymous workers but individuals whose contributions mattered.

The Christmas bonus tradition epitomized this approach. Each December, McGovern spent two weeks traveling to every American IDG office, personally handing bonus checks to every employee and spending time with them. He studied crib sheets, memorizing names, family details, and recent accomplishments. When McGovern stopped at your desk, he knew your spouse’s name, asked about your kids, and referenced your recent project. This took enormous effort. By the 1980s, IDG employed thousands. McGovern signed 5,000 holiday cards personally each year.