Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Editors in Chief calling the shots
I had a great meeting this afternoon with the EICs.
These guys met on their own not this past weekend, but the weekend before. Basically, they met in the midst of Issue 2 craziness. This is a great thing. They had a chance to talk about all of the problems and challenges they are facing while they are facing them. Today, we finally got a chance to talk about what they figured out on their own.
I realized today that as much independence as I try to instill in these guys (and that they have), they still need me every once in a while. My goal is to try to make myself more available to them when they need me. This means that I have to limit other people's dependence on me. This could also mean limiting my obligations. That would be good for me overall though, not just in terms of Spokesman. So, to start, I'm changing my Relay For Life meeting times so that those meetings don't conflict with newspaper time. I'm also going to start meeting with Jake a few times a week in the mornings just to chat and keep the lines of communication open.
I also realized that I need to help my EICs become good coaches. Right now, they are great at picking out where staff members need help and where they are successful. The challenge is for the EICs to help the staff members when they need it without belittling their confidences. I think I'm going to start with the Coaching Writers book I have on my shelf. I might share a chapter an issue, or a week, and talk about it with the EICs.
On this same note, we (the EICs and me) have to help; our section editors be good role models. I think the first step is to be clear about what a good role model is. Jake is going to introduce this tomorrow at the Editorial Board meeting.
Okay, I think I have written plenty for today. I love the start of a new issue... so much possibility!
These guys met on their own not this past weekend, but the weekend before. Basically, they met in the midst of Issue 2 craziness. This is a great thing. They had a chance to talk about all of the problems and challenges they are facing while they are facing them. Today, we finally got a chance to talk about what they figured out on their own.
I realized today that as much independence as I try to instill in these guys (and that they have), they still need me every once in a while. My goal is to try to make myself more available to them when they need me. This means that I have to limit other people's dependence on me. This could also mean limiting my obligations. That would be good for me overall though, not just in terms of Spokesman. So, to start, I'm changing my Relay For Life meeting times so that those meetings don't conflict with newspaper time. I'm also going to start meeting with Jake a few times a week in the mornings just to chat and keep the lines of communication open.
I also realized that I need to help my EICs become good coaches. Right now, they are great at picking out where staff members need help and where they are successful. The challenge is for the EICs to help the staff members when they need it without belittling their confidences. I think I'm going to start with the Coaching Writers book I have on my shelf. I might share a chapter an issue, or a week, and talk about it with the EICs.
On this same note, we (the EICs and me) have to help; our section editors be good role models. I think the first step is to be clear about what a good role model is. Jake is going to introduce this tomorrow at the Editorial Board meeting.
Okay, I think I have written plenty for today. I love the start of a new issue... so much possibility!
