programs. In 1974–1975, five of the top ten shows were Lear’s.
In November 1986, five of the top nine off-network sitcoms in
syndication were his. Nearly 60 percent of Lear’s pilots have sold
as series, which is twice the industry average. More than a third
of all his network series went on to become hits in syndication,
three times the industry average.
Lear’s career, consistently characterized by innovation and
risk, proves the efficacy of both, for Lear is not only a creative
phenomenon but a financial wizard as well. But when the Writ-
ers Guild of America went on strike in March 1988, this man
who revolutionized an industry, this multimillionaire, this
communications pioneer and leader, walked the picket lines
with his fellow writers and loved it.
Lear has performed brilliantly as a writer, a producer, a
businessman, and a citizen-activist (he is co-founder of Peo-
ple for the American Way, a foundation devoted to civil rights
and liberties). His counsel continues to be sought by presi-
dential candidates and other politicians. And he continues to
contribute to American public life in other ways. In 2000, he
and Internet entrepreneur David Hayden, paid a record $7.4
million for the original copy of the Declaration of Independ-
ence and announced plans to make it available to the public.
Lear also donated more than $5 million to establish a multidis-
ciplinary center at the University of Southern California for the
study of the implications of “the convergence of entertainment,
commerce and society.” The Norman Lear Center conducts
academic research and shapes public policy.
Lear’s story is the American Dream made manifest, a plot
straight out of Horatio Alger, except that he didn’t marry the
boss’s daughter. Starting with nothing, he has become very, very
rich and very, very famous, and very, very powerful. Indeed, his
On Becoming a Leader