WHEN you work for Rupert Murdoch you do not work for a company chairman or chiefexecutive: you work for a Sun King. You are not a director or a manager or an editor: youare a courtier at the court of the Sun King—rewarded with money and status by agrateful King as long as you serve his purpose, dismissed outright or demoted when youhave ceased to please him or outlived your usefulness.
All life revolves around the Sun King: all authority comes from him. He is the only oneto whom allegiance must be owed and he expects his remit to run everywhere, his word to befinal. There are no other references but him. He is the only benchmark and anybody ofimportance reports direct to him. Normal management structures — all the traditionallines of authority, communication and decision-taking in the modern businesscorporation—do not matter. The Sun King is all that matters.
Other courtiers who believe they are your boss may try to tell you what to do; butunless they have the ear of the Sun King on the particular matter, you can safely ignorethem if you wish. All courtiers are created equal because all have access to the King,though from time to time some are more equal than others. Even Sun Kings have a flavour ofthe month—though those who enjoy that privileged post at the Murdoch court mustremember that a month is not a very long time.
All Sun Kings have a weakness for courtiers who are fawning or obsequious. But thewisest—among whom we must number Rupert Murdoch—know they also need courtierswith brains, originality and a free spirit, especially in the creative media business. Butindependence has its limits: Sun Kings are also control freaks—and they are used togetting their way.
No matter how senior or talented or independent-minded, courtiers must always remembertwo things: they must never dare to outshine the Sun King: and they must always showregular obeisance to him to prove beyond peradventure that, no matter how powerful orimportant they are, they know who is boss.
