Before Taking a Job, Consider the Fit

Phil Kent, chairman and chief executive officer of Turner Broadcasting System -- the cable programming giant that owns such fabled networks as CNN, TNT, and Cartoon Network -- was in New York last week for the cable industry's annual gathering.

As we were catching up, Phil told me, "I need to thank you for the great advice you gave me a few years ago. I quote you often."

"I'm flattered," I replied, "but can you jog my memory with the pearls of wisdom I might have shared?"

He reminded me that when he was deciding whether to join Time Warner to lead its multibillion dollar Turner division or accept a potentially more lucrative offer as CEO of a global public company in the videogame business, I'd boiled the choice down to one deciding factor -- the people. "The who is more important than the what!" Phil said proudly.