𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿

John McCorry called me over to his desk one afternoon.

Mac was one of the editors responsible for bond market coverage at Bloomberg News in the early 1990s, and I was the lead reporter covering U.S. Treasuries, the world’s largest securities market. Mac was laboring over a story I wrote, and he wanted a word.

Upon my arrival, Mac looked up, squinted, and asked: “Is this your best work?”

Before I had a chance to speak, my slumped shoulders answered the question. Mac knew that I knew that I had mailed it in to meet the 4 pm deadline.

Then he delivered the line that just crushed me.

“You’re better than this."

Just four simple words. No histrionics. No raised voice. No public lashing that anyone who has ever worked in a newsroom has witnessed from those few editors who seem to revel in loudly diminishing others. Just four words, delivered with kindness and designed to get the best out of a reporter. 

Mac held me accountable for lazy work while reaffirming that I had some talent and was capable of so much more. What a gift. 

In that moment, what pained me most was the idea that I might have disappointed an editor for whom I had the most sincere respect and affection. I vowed never to do that again.

In the decades since that exchange, when I have had the privilege of leading teams, I would always tell them the story about Mac. And whenever someone’s work didn’t measure up to their capabilities, I would remind them of Mac and say “you’re better than this.” Every true professional comes away from that exchange a bit disappointed, but so much more motivated to do better. 

Mac retired from Bloomberg News at the end of 2024. Over the course of his more than 40-year career, he guided the work of countless reporters and editors, all of whom would attest that they are better for having had the experience. Mac and I remain great friends, bonding over our working-class backgrounds as kids from the boroughs of New York City, and our beloved Yankees. 

I could go on and on about all he has meant to so many, but I’ll stop now, invoking yet another line from the great John McCorry: “Give it a rest.”