Lessons on Stewardship From America’s Paper of Record

On Tuesday, New York Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger spoke at Michigan State University as part of its Presidential Speaker Series.

He discussed how The Times survived and thrived through 175 years of disruptions that upended culture, politics and business. The secret recipe behind the newspaper's endurance, Sulzberger said, has been to approach our work as stewards guided by commitments to value and to values.

Value is about producing journalism that's built on quality, excellence and a useful, rewarding experience. Values are our commitments to independence, integrity and public service. Stewardship is a model of leadership that puts the long-term health of an enterprise first.

"Great leaders can be measured in many ways," A.G. said. "They can drive revenue growth, increase share price or achieve market domination. Great stewards must do something singular: hand their enterprise to capable successors, stronger and more resilient than it was handed to them."

Read the full text of his speech in The Times's Opinion section: "So You Want to Publish a Newspaper."