Adam Bryant conducts interviews of senior-level executives that appear in his “Corner Office” column each week in the SundayBusiness section of The New York Times. Here are a few insights provided during an interview of Bernard J. Tyson, the chief executive of Kaiser Permanente. “You can say whatever you want to say in this office to me. Just understand that I also have the freedom not to agree, but I want to know what you’re thinking.”

To read the complete interview as well as Bryant’s interviews of other executives, please click here.

Photo credit: Earl Wilson/The New York Times

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What were some early leadership lessons for you?

I grew up in a large family, with two brothers and four sisters. My father was a carpenter and a minister, so I grew up in a very religious environment. Telling stories is a big part of my communication style.

The second thing is, I am a man of my word. My father set an example that your word is your bond, and that if you say something and commit to it, you deliver on it. And if you can’t deliver on it, you owe the person the respect to explain why. Commitments to me are very important, and it doesn’t mean you have to be perfect. It means that you live by your word.

Any expressions you heard often from your parents?

I used to hear this all the time: “Be careful how you treat people. If you walk over people going up, those are the same people you’ll need on your way down.” That has always stayed with me about the right way to treat people. The other one is, “To whom much is given, much is required.” I am a very giving person in terms of time and energy and resources. I don’t do it for me; I view it as a way to contribute.

What were some lessons you learned early on in your career?

I was hired as an administrative analyst at Vallejo General Hospital in California, and worked closely with Jack Manley, the hospital administrator who was essentially the C.E.O. That gave me a chance to see how a leader thought. I was fascinated by the questions he would ask, which I would then try to answer by researching the data. It was almost like I was solving a mystery.

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Adam Bryant, deputy national editor of The New York Times, oversees coverage of education issues, military affairs, law, and works with reporters in many of the Times’ domestic bureaus. He also conducts interviews with CEOs and other leaders for Corner Office, a weekly feature in the SundayBusiness section and on nytimes.com that he started in March 2009. In his book, The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed, (Times Books), he analyzes the broader lessons that emerge from his interviews with more than 70 leaders. To read an excerpt, please click here.

His next book, Quick and Nimble: Lessons from Leading CEOs on How to Create a Culture of Innovation, will also be published by Times Books (January 2014). To contact him, please click here.