Comments on: A crowdsourcing experiment

By: Wendy Withers

Wendy Withers — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 05:03:35 +0000

My main piece of advice is that the new wave of journalists needs constant feedback and encouragement. If he’s lucky, he’ll get the few who actually knows their grammar and AP style and care about getting things right the first time their work graces the copy desk.

By: Heidi Cool

Heidi Cool — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:59:42 +0000

I think the main thing to do in a new leadership role is to put the staff at ease. Let them know you respect the team and want to work with them. To that end I would tell them that you don’t anticipate making changes or reorganization until you’ve had a chance to see how the team works, meet with them as a whole and meet with them individually. Let them know that if over time it seems necessary to make changes that you will do it with their input.

Then I would try to set up one on one meetings with every one in the group as soon as possible, but give them fair notice to prepare.

While some staff will be nervous about the new boss, others will be trying to make this an opportunity to advance themselves, hopefully through the sharing of insightful ideas and good work, but possibly also through more nefarious stratagems.

The individual meetings give everyone a chance to speak candidly and in private and help to level the playing field. This also let’s them know you’re approachable. It also let’s you start getting a feel for their personalities and leadership qualities. Some will show up just waiting to see what you have to say while others will show up with ideas and/or portfolio. How much they prepare can be very telling.

By: John Robinson

John Robinson — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 14:18:08 +0000

Some, in no particular order:

* Create or find a good list of digital media tactics/skills for them to learn; let them know that this is their present and future
* Remind them that their development is in their hands
* Tell them to treat the audience as they would treat close friends — talk with them, listen, engage, laugh, share, etc.
* Tell them that a journalist’s job is to speak truth to power and that he expects them to speak truth to him.
* Tell them that failure in pursuit of excellence and innovation is an option.
* Tell them that it’s a tough job working for a newspaper: You don’t pay them well; you make them work nights and weekends; you have them ask impertinent questions of powerful people; they often get abused by people on the street for what they do….so it’s important to you that they like where they work and what they do. You want them to have fun, to learn and to be energized. And you expect them to help you create that newsroom environment.