A few weeks ago, I wrote about new broadcast and print leaders who were on their way to Poynter for a week of leadership training. They were here last week and are now back in their newsrooms. We hope they’ve returned with new insights and specific actions they can take to grow into their management roles.
While they were with us, they exchanged stories of challenge and success, especially when it comes to seeing their fresh ideas come to life. One success story represents such a good change to both process and product, that I’d like to share it with you.
It comes from Greensboro. A few months ago, Steve Allen moved into a new role as night copy desk chief at the Greensboro News & Record. With the fresh eyes of a new leader, he implemented an improved approach to nightly routines as pages are completed and headed for the presses.
The usual procedure required that the night editor check the various desks to see how production and design work was flowing. Steve suggested a different tack: reviewing all the section fronts and inside special layouts at one time, by the whole team, in a quick meeting. The benefits?
• The team of designers could see how the pages throughout the paper worked together as a whole.
• The designers could spot style inconsistencies or other tweaks on the pages to refine presentation.
• They could spot opportunities that added new or interesting elements and incorporate them.
• It is a critique in advance of publication, not the next morning when the paper is already in the hands of readers.
It is a nifty idea. Steve keeps the meetings brief and well-timed — 10 minutes just before the dinner break that is the pause before the final production push.
As Steve built this new procedure into the routine, he also realized that the meeting would be valuable for copy editors. So, he encouraged them to take part. They can see the page plans and see what their headlines can contribute to the overall presentation. They have a context for their editing and headlines that is greater than just the story on their computer screens.
After a few months, Steve is observing other benefits of the meeting:
• Newer designers hear experienced designers talk about why they crafted a page as they did. Hearing the insights is the equivalent of a good coaching session.
• The meeting is one more avenue for general feedback from one another on what works and what needs work.
• Many voices participate, with a greater opportunity for including more perspectives in decisions about the paper.
• The mutual discussions help build a team atmosphere.
• The paper has a better opportunity to be its best when it reaches the reader because it has been looked at as a whole — not just separate sections produced by different desks.
As an example of what makes Steve proud of his staff’s work, he shares this page one from the morning after President Bush made his Iraqi policy speech in Cincinnati.
Rather than settle for the predictable photo of the president at the podium, page designer Ben Villarreal came up with an idea that captured the broad context from Cincinnati to the UN to Iraq. Ben showed his idea to the rest of the team at the meeting, modeling the possibilities of illustrating the story without relying on the standard shot. He took the initiative to try something different, and the team responded.
Steve is following his instincts as a new leader, and the team is benefiting. He appreciates the design and copy desk team’s openness to trying his ideas. And he knows that his boss, news editor Teresa Prout, plays a key role. He gives her credit not only for being supportive, but also for encouraging him to try new ideas that help his staff be its best.
As a new leader, Steve has what we all hope for, an early “win” for everyone that helps build better journalism. Who says you can’t challenge the system?
What are your ideas as a new leader that you are bringing to your staff? If you lead a new editor, how are you supporting him or her and their fresh ideas for your staff? Share them with me by e-mailing pjohnson@poynter.org.
