This is the late 60s, and Henry Kissinger is the National Security Advisor to President Richard Nixon. Winston Lord is his special assistant. Even though Henry Kissinger was a great speechwriter, the task of writing his speeches during his stay at the State Department was given to Winston Lord. Henry Kissinger believed that all his speeches and reports shaped foreign policy. So he was very meticulous about it. Most of his speeches and reports went through several drafts and redrafts. Winston Lord recalls one such instance when they were working on a Presidential Report on Foreign Policy. Lord had crafted the first draft and given it to Henry Kissinger. A few days later, Henry Kissinger called him and said, “Is this the best you can do?” Lord’s reply was, “Yes, Henry. I thought so, but I’ll give it another shot.” A few days later, he redrafted it and sent it to Henry Kissinger. Again, a day later, he gets a call from Henry Kissinger, and Kissinger says, “Hey, I’m just double checking. Are you sure this is the best you can do?” Lord replied, “Yes, Henry, I really thought so. But I’ll give it another shot.” This to-and-fro went on eight times. Eight times, Lord submitted the drafts and eight times, Henry Kissinger asked him, “Is this the best you can do?” Eight times Lord said, “I’ll try it again.” Lord submits the ninth draft. Like the last eight times, a day later, Henry Kissinger calls him and says, “Is this the best you can do?” This time an exasperated Lord says, “Henry, I have beaten my brains out on this. This is the ninth draft. Yes, this is the best I can do. I cannot improve a single word in this draft.” There is a pause, and then Henry Kissinger says, “Well, I’ll give it a read then.” Business Points ( Tags ) #meticulous #redraft #excellence #push
