Josh Brown of The Reformed Broker listed to a recent podcast with legendary business journalist Carol Loomis of Fortune and came away with several lessons.
Here are some of them:
2. Don’t fear the unknown – the Fortune system didn’t involve specific beats for reporters. Stories were assigned and writers were sent out with next to no information in some cases. Loomis credits this system for her ability to learn fast and ask a ton of worthwhile questions.
3. Get the complete picture – One piece of advice Loomis learned from another reporter could be very useful for investors: Don’t stop asking questions until you begin to hear the same thing over and over again. Until then, you probably don’t have all sides of a given story nailed down. Think about the applicability of this idea to the due diligence process investors must go through.
4. Stand up for yourself, no matter what – Carol Loomis had to slap a male reporter who made a pass at her while in the office in the 1960’s (shades of Mad Men-era harrassment). She had to battle the sexist Economic Club of New York to get an invite to an important event that involved a story she was covering. And when that same club came calling to offer her a membership, she turned them down. Self-respect opens doors for you when you put it on display. It takes more courage than “going along to get along”, but it also sends the message that you’re serious and not to be trifled with.
Read more here.
