I met
Sheryl Hilliard Tucker at the 2004
UNITY convention in Washington, D.C. She was browsing the exhibits and stopped at the Poynter booth. When she learned we offer leadership and management programs for journalists, her eyes lit up. For this veteran Time Inc. editor, leadership is a passion. We talked about training she believes in and skills that too many of today's managers lack.
And despite the fact that she was already a successful and high-ranking editor, she signed up for that year's
Poynter Leadership Academy. The Academy is our big annual program for high-potential newsroom managers. Sheryl had already taken courses and seminars on leadership and management, but she wanted more. She also wanted insights into teaching leadership in organizations. Needless to say, she was a gem of a participant. It was like having an extra faculty member in the room.
Flash forward to 2008. It's UNITY time again, now in Chicago. In her role as Executive Editor of Time Inc., Sheryl put together a full day pre-convention workshop for aspiring magazine editors. Top names from some of Time Inc.'s magazines --
Essence,
InStyle,
Real Simple,
Fortune -- were on hand to share ideas about the industry, its direction and the kind of editors needed for the future.
Sheryl invited me to join the party and present a session, too. I chose a title like the kind I see on magazine covers. You know: "Five Foods that Can Save Your Life" or "Six Steps to Financial Freedom." Mine was "Ten Things Great Bosses Know and Why the Best People Want to Work for Them." I'll share that info in a future SuperVision blog, along with management ideas from some of the smart folks in the room.
For now, take a minute to hear from Sheryl Hilliard Tucker about why journalism needs strong leaders more than ever before:
