SuperVision

Changed anything in your newsroom lately? Of course you have. All newsrooms are introducing new technologies, new story forms, new ways of connecting with audiences. It makes sense that we Poynter folks do the same.

We're shifting the format of our leadership and management writing from column to blog; From Leading Lines to SuperVision. What does it mean to you? More frequency and timeliness, I hope.

What does it mean to me? A whole new learning curve. Just like journalists on the front lines, I've had to pick up some new skills. No longer will I dash off a Word document for an editor to massage and post. I'm all about the CMS now, kids! Crafting my own material directly into the system and having to learn all the mysteries of making it look right.

That means I've suffered the same malady that hinders so much change: something called learning anxiety. One of the best thinkers on that subject is MIT's Edgar Schein. He explains that we often resist learning something new because as we do, we are temporarily incompetent. And boy, do we hate that. Especially if we've been seen as good performers in our old skills. We fear ridicule or even punishment for our shortcomings. So we cling to what we do well, not what we need to master.

Schein says we choose to change when our survival anxiety is greater than our learning anxiety. Problem is, too many managers try to raise the survival anxiety when what they should be doing is lowering the learning anxiety.

That's what my Poynter Online colleagues Ellyn Angelotti and Jeremy Gilbert did for me. Lots of hands-on training, patience with my clumsiness at multimedia and back-end site administration, smiles through my grumpiness at feeling so darn inept at things they do so effortlessly. They coached. And I really did learn a few things -- and am still learning.

Now I'm dangerous. Blogging by words alone is not enough! If I'm going to learn new skills, then let's get on with it -- and add something else new to this blog:





So welcome to SuperVision. Think of it as Poynter's own mini-channel for managers and those they manage. I'm eager for your feedback!