A reporter e-mailed me to ask, "Could you offer occasional tips for managers on how to cultivate and maintain a positive workplace?"
He went on to describe how his work situation went sour after a new arrival, and how management didn't address it. "The result: a dysfunctional newsroom in which tension replaced teamwork."
I called him to hear about his experiences over 31 years of reporting. He wouldn't agree to let me use his name (more on that below), but he said, "I've had a good life in newspapers, and today I see a lot of struggle. The industry is changing so rapidly and none of us knows where it is going. But now more than ever, leadership is key, and there are those whose lack of social skills limit their ability to lead."
Whether you are an editor or an ad manager, your leadership style directly affects the lives of those who work under you. With my prompting, the reporter described the characteristics of his favorite leaders:
- They brought out the best in people, rather than focusing on negative criticism.
- They used feedback to coach and offered constructive criticism rather than punitive commentary.
- They turned good performers loose, demonstrating faith in their judgment and ability. (Isn't that why these people were hired -- to do their jobs?)
- They thought before they spoke, recognizing that they can never retract their words and that those words will inspire or stifle performance.
- They culled everyone's ideas by fostering brainstorming and open-mindedness.
- They welcomed input without favoritism and watched the team evolve.
- They didn't micromanage. They weren't too fast with criticism.
I talked to this reporter around the time that Poynter Online published Jacqui Banaszynski's story about
what journalism could learn from Brett Favre.
"Like Brett Favre," the reporter said, "those editors who were good leaders became legends in that they knew their stuff but came across like the neighbor next door. The opposite of this was an editor who felt he could do no wrong and as a result showed little faith in reporters and offered little praise."
That reminded me of something that happened when I facilitated a management training course called Interpersonal Managing Skills. The core skills, frankly, were those of good journalism: clarifying and confirming information and avoiding assumptions.
But the skill that elicited the most comments from participants was giving people credit for what they do. "That never happens in the newsroom! Get credit for doing something? Sure," they scoffed.
This reporter asked that I keep his name confidential. That got me to thinking: What would you like to tell your manager but withhold because you fear the reaction?
My biggest fear in managing staffs was that they would not tell me what they found ineffective in my leadership.
I wanted to be sure that I knew what dampened their performance, blocked teamwork and smothered communication. If I didn't know what wasn't working, I couldn't change it. And that would kill results, motivation and all of our success.
What inspires you to work your hardest? How have you built a positive workplace? Post your thoughts
in the feedback section or
e-mail me.
