Zell: 'I promise you I did not come here to be captain of the Titanic'

For you folks east of Los Angeles who may have missed this – posted on LAObserved is LAT publisher David Hiller's memo to staff recapping Sam Zell's off the record visit with managers last week. Snippets:

— He doesn’t associate with mediocrity, so wants to “go for greatness”
— “My head and neck only look forward;” “I don’t really give a [ ] about the past”
— Without revenue we can’t print the paper
— Believes in giving people authority and local decision-making, and then holding them accountable

And – he's "Committed and confident in the deal getting done (don’t focus too much on current stock price)"

Wonder if he'll drop by for a visit to other owners? (end of post)