LEDE 2011: Class members share their top takeaways
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CHICAGO -We asked the members of the 2011 LEDE class what their top takeaways were for the fall session. Here's that they had to say:
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Heather Dodds, Siskiyou (Calif.) Daily News, Managing Editor
1. Probably my biggest takeaway from the fall LEDE program was how to effectively delegate as a manager. I don&#39;t want to be the manager who pawns all the work off on her employees, so I tend to take on too many tasks myself. I was reminded that it&#39;s important to have clear boundaries about workload and to communicate those boundaries to the team. When my attention is focused on tasks that somebody else should be doing, I become less effective as a manager.
2. Another helpful exercise was when we broke into pairs and practiced having difficult conversations with employees - it made the prospect of having those conversations a little less scary.
3. Another thing that really stuck out to me was when Canton Repository Executive Editor Jeff Gauger said that he takes a chunk of time each day just to think, and that this time is when he generates his best ideas for the newsroom. I have been trying to do this myself, even though it&#39;s really hard to find the time every day - I&#39;m definitely guilty of walking in the door and then running around constantly all day without ever taking a break. What Jeff said made me realize that when I spend all day every day with my attention focused on the many different projects I have going on, I&#39;m not going to be able to reflect on how things are running and how they can be made better, which is no way to run a newsroom.
Erik Gable, The Daily Telegram (Adrian, Mich.), Special projects editor
1. Authority comes from many places - not just from a title, and not even just from things that are directly involved in management, but also from actions that anyone can take, no matter where in the organization they are.
2. When you&#39;re new on the job is not the time to start making changes - take the time to learn first.
3. Taking on the work of people you supervise does nobody any favors. Even though you may enjoy it because it provides a break from your own duties, the manager should remove obstacles and pave the way for people to handle their own responsibilities, not take those responsibilities out of people&#39;s hands entirely.
David Good, Suburban Life Publications, Assistant Managing Editor for Sports
1. Know your goal. This is one practice that I find myself using virtually every day. It&#39;s crucial to articulate a clear and concise goal before you start to plan anything. Whether you&#39;re planning a strategy meeting or an email response to a frustrated reader, you need to know exactly where you want to go in order to organize how to get there.
2. Know your champion. Finding those people you can count on in the newsroom is critical to a successful manager. In the first weeks and months as a new manager, these people can help convey your mission to the rest of the team, in turn, soothing the transition process. They can serve as a brainstorming partner. And when time comes for change, they are empowered to take leadership roles when others might provide resistance.
3. Know your Impact. It&#39;s not good enough to simply know your goal. There are steps - very specific steps - you need to take when managing change in the newsroom. The Impact map breaks down those steps, from establishing standards and systems to identifying resources and skills to finally providing recognition. Tending carefully to each step in the Impact process produces a plan that your champions can believe in and the rest of your team can understand and execute.
Eric Hahn, Suburban Life Publications, On The Go Editor/Page Designer
1. Being a good manager and a good employee are two different skills. Many people get promoted because of a vocational talent. Then, that talent takes a backseat to motivating people, organizing and running systems.
2. Managing like a martyr - taking on the work of your employees - does more harm than good to a company.
3. Meetings: Begin on time. Have an agenda. End on time.
Andrew Nash, Pittsburg (Kans.) Morning Sun, Reporter
1. I think one of the biggest things I learned is that I&#39;m not alone. It&#39;s easy to forget that there are others out there - other new managers, other papers, other resources - that can help me when I don&#39;t have all the answers. It&#39;s a relief to know that other people have gone through some of the same things I am, or are going through them.
2. It&#39;s not about us. If all I am thinking about is me and how do I get what I want to get done, I&#39;m not being a very good manager. What our goal should be is to discover the goals and needs of our staff, and then find out how to meet those, while simultaneously meeting the needs of our property.
3. Spend more time thinking and dreaming. When we get bogged down in our day-to-day activities, we lose sight of what we should be doing, what we can do, and what we need to do to grow. This planning and dreaming process will not only help us focus our thoughts, but also help us to reach them.
Carrie Gonzalez, The Randolph County Herald Tribune and The Steeleville Ledger (Chester, Illinois), Managing Editor
1. At the Fall 2011 LEDE session learning how to handle difficult situations was very helpful to me. It gave me the opportunity to look back at situations I have been in and how I could have handled them differently to make a better outcome.
2. Regarding the sessions, managing newsroom structure, strategic planning and meetings will assist me when I become an editor of a newspaper with a staff. The information provided was informative, and I can see myself utilizing these skills in the future.
3. Interview skills and how to be new in a newsroom will help me in the immediate future when I seek employment in a larger newspaper. After being in my current position for the last 13 years, my interview skills needed to a refresher course. Being new in a newsroom can be challenging, and with the skills obtained at the session I feel confident about being the new person on staff.
Lynn Brennan, The Evening Tribune (Hornell, N.Y.), Photographer, Perspective Editor
1. When handling a difficult conversation, it is impossible to be too prepared. Practice what you are going to say. You shouldn't assume you are going to be right in every point, be prepared to compromise. Try not to say 'you' when addressing a problem.
2. When you are new to a newsroom, it is important to sit down and get to know each of the people you will be working with. Determine their strengths and weaknesses and problems they would like to see addressed. Don't go in and start changing everything immediately, start slow (if possible).
3. Even if you aren't 100 percent behind an idea, as a leader, sometimes it is necessary to fake enthusiasm in order to get others on board and get the job done.
Adam C. McHugh, Rockford Register Star, Assistant delivery desk editor
1. Managing is not about you: The most rewarding aspects of being a manager are in the triumphs of your staff. By teaching and nurturing less experienced workers to the point their work is as good as what you could do.
2. Communication: Breakdowns in communication can be the biggest obstacle to achieving goals in a newsroom. When different departments within the room are acting as one with solid communication, the sky's the limit.
3. The human factor: If managers take a cookie-cutter approach to dealing with their workers, they will fail. Every worker is different, with their own set of problems, motivation and skills. If they're struggling, often it's for a reason not even related to their work. Take time to learn about your workers: What excites them, what bothers them, what motivates them. Be fair in your dealings with them, and you'll find you will get a lot more out of them.
4. The future: Newsrooms are going through change not seen in decades. If change is not embraced (i.e. enhanced web content, mobile), we're signing our own death warrant. Journalism isn't going to die. And good journalism still can be done in these tough times. This era is difficult, but it also is filled with incredible opportunities.