A founding principle of Poynter’s virtual Lead with Influence program is that at some point in your journalism career, you will find yourself as a leader without direct reports but who has to work with others to achieve results.

You could be a reporter leading an investigative project. An audience editor who has to train your colleagues on a new workflow. A producer in charge of launching a new program segment. An editor with a title but no team.

Lead with Influence, which is being offered three times in 2024, was created by former Poynter faculty member Samantha Ragland for “all leaders who manage big responsibilities — such as processes, products or platforms — but have no direct reports.” She said she wished this training was available when she had that role. I wish it was, too! 

That’s why it’s an honor to be the program lead. Three times a year, I meet dozens of journalists working in various roles across all types of media and we dive into ideas and methods that can help them be more effective in their jobs. 

We learn about ourselves through assessments and reflections, how to consider and react intentionally to others’ behaviors, how to manage up and across, and how to advocate for ourselves.

As a result of this program, people have negotiated higher salaries, changed the way they lead meetings, and used our user manual exercise to learn more about their colleagues.

We learn we are not alone in our challenges. I tell each class attendee that being in a cohort together means they’ve expanded their networks. It means they have a new group of experts to turn to for feedback.

One of the program’s principles is to be mindful that we’re all humans, which means we have different tendencies and different motivations. If we take the time to understand these differences, we can then begin to figure out how to work more effectively with one another. This is also a core pillar of inclusive leadership.

Here’s one testimonial from a participant in our July 2023 session: “Lead with Influence reminded me just how important it is to take the time to do the groundwork and build a solid foundation of support with colleagues before getting into the project itself.”

That truly warms my heart! I love leading this and other programs at Poynter because I want to be part of helping journalists succeed. I want them to feel valued, heard and supported so they may stay in the industry for years to come. Because the world needs journalists.

Program details

If you are a leader who can benefit from this kind of support, please join us in 2024. The cost is $600 and each session is from 1-5 p.m. Eastern. We have three sessions available:

• Wednesdays in February (all gender)
• Mondays in June (women and nonbinary)
• Wednesdays in October (all gender)

If you are a leader who has the power to send someone to this program, please do. It’s an investment in your people, and your support will have a lasting impact.