WORK Takeaway
Scott Pelley
Scott Pelley is the anchor of the CBS Evening News and a longtime correspondent for 60 Minutes.
Recently, we were doing a story about a ship that had been torpedoed by North Korea, and we showed a video of it. The trouble was, wrong ship, wrong torpedo. We figured this out right after the broadcast. The next night we put the video back up and said, “Remember when we showed this to you? We were wrong. Here’s how we made that mistake, and we’re sorry about it.” We recovered from our blunder by cherishing it as an indispensable opportunity to learn and by admitting to it quickly, completely, and with humility. People appreciate when you say, “You know what, I blew it.” It fosters goodwill. In a perverse sort of way, I love mistakes.
OUT TAKES ON - CAMER A ROUTINE There’s no such thing as good writing; there’s only good rewriting. I have a computer embedded into the anchor desk, and I rewrite the copy up until the intro music plays.
FRESH PERSPECTIVE By definition, my point of view is flawed. The only way to triangulate your decisionmaking is by listening to others, especially those who don’t agree with you.
FAVORITE INTERVIEW The most combative one I ever did—and therefore the most fun—was in 2007 with former CIA director George Tenet, who had never been interviewed before.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JOHN PAUL FILO/CBS
Mistakes make for opportunities, says this news veteran.
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