This interview with Kyle Zimmer, president, chief executive and co-founder of the nonprofit First Book, which provides books for children in need, was conducted, edited and condensed by Adam Bryant.  Kyle Zimmer is president, C.E.O. and co-founder of First Book, a nonprofit that provides books for children in need. To encourage initiative, she says, the organization occasionally bestows awards for promising ideas that somehow fail.  Every Sunday, Adam Bryant talks with top executives about the challenges of leading and managing. In his new book, "The Corner Office" (Times Books), he analyzes the broader lessons that emerge from his interviews with more than 70 leaders. Excerpt Â»  Q. What were some early leadership lessons for you?  A. After I graduated from law school, I felt like I had something to prove. I remember thinking that if I was a bigger pit bull, that would somehow turn into a win. There are times when you have to do that. But it’s really unusual when that’s appropriate and even helpful. Over time, I learned that the best business deals are the ones that are brilliantly crafted so that everybody has a reason to play. I think it took me longer than it should have to figure that out.  Q. What else did you learn early in your career?  A. I thought I had to have all the answers myself. I don’t think I had the humility or the perspective to understand that that’s never the game, and that reaching out to as many brilliant minds as you can find is where the real strength is. When I started First Book, I was learning about the publishing industry from the ground up. But by that time, I had learned that it really didn’t matter if I knew anything. What mattered is whether I could get people to the table who did, because you’re never going to know enough.  Q. What about earlier in your life? Were you always in leadership roles?  A. I was always wired that way. I was president of the student council. I somehow ended up as the first young person on the board of the local Y.W.C.A. when I was about 12 or 13. I always was sort of the organizer. It’s just sort of a DNA thing.  Q. When you started First Book, did you think about what kind of culture you wanted to create?  A. I didn’t think about that so much. When you start out, you’re not thinking about culture. You’re thinking about how to pay the light bill. The evolution of the organization sort of came in waves. The first group of people who joined us were profoundly mission-driven people, because there would be nothing else that would drive them through the door. There were almost no benefits. We had about $1.30 in our bank account. And so their financial future was very uncertain. It was a dangerous thing for them to do professionally.  Then I remember interviewing people who started asking about benefits. It wasn’t a negative thing. But it occurred to me, at that moment, that this is a different conversation. These are committed people, but they are juggling a lot of priorities, like family and work. And then I think it became very real to me that you have to really focus on the culture of the organization. You can work very hard to build the culture of an organization, and it’s a fragile thing — it’s much easier to lose it than it is to build it.  Q. Tell me more about your culture.  A. We have a very informal culture, and we also have very high standards. Some people can get confused by that, because they assume that if you have jeans on, then somehow the rigor of your work product is not the same as the work from somebody in a starched shirt. We’re also playful. It’s a very creative place. The people who do best in the environment are people who are very mission-driven but also have very significant business skills. Almost everyone in the organization is from the private sector.  We look for people who are already pretty accomplished — even young people, but they don’t have to be accomplished in the traditional sense. We want people who have tried things, and have failed, and have risen above it. Those indicators that you’re a builder are profoundly important. Because if you’re bright, and you’re a builder, and you’ve overcome the winds that blow against anybody trying to build anything, a lot of other things fall away, like defensiveness. I’ve found the people who have tried things on their own and struggled are the ones who are least protective of their work and the most collaborative.  They’ve learned that in order to put something together, you can’t do it by yourself. Anything in the world that’s been accomplished has been a team sport. And those are the people we want in the organization. If somebody gets in and doesn’t fit, the culture now is so strong that they leave pretty fast.  Q. Give me an example.  A. Our organization is a tough fit for people who are hierarchical and a bit autocratic. When I go into meetings, I’ll bring five ideas, and some of the youngest people on the staff will find a way to say that four of my ideas are not that great. I think that’s terrific, as long as we’re kind to each other. And they’re very funny about it.
Kyle Zimmer of the nonprofit First Book says that when it comes to hiring, she looks for people who have tried great new things, failed and overcome the disappointment.