Got a message from a jerk the other day. Very valuable. Very well-written, too. To be precise, it was an email from a recovering jerk. Let’s just call him “RJ”, since he is comfortable sharing his story but not his name.
RJ wrote in response to a column I wrote a few weeks ago about “A Problem with Passion.” I described some news managers who attend our Poynter Leadership seminars and the feedback they get from their newsrooms. Too often, those managers described as “passionate about journalism” are also pegged as difficult personalities to deal with. And that’s not healthy.
RJ became an editor a few years ago, after more than a decade as self-described “driven, passionate (and yes, occasionally award-winning) reporter.” RJ continues: “Newspapers tend to promote passionate reporters. That’s good. In fact we need it more today than ever. But they also tend not to recognize that being passionate about news is not a sufficient condition for being a good editor/manager. And even when they do recognize that fact, they seldom know what to do about it.”
Not too long ago, RJ’s paper had his staff give him feedback on his strengths and weaknesses as a manager.
It was a first for RJ, who reports: “I got high marks from my people for being a good idea person, an excellent word editor, someone who cares passionately about journalism and story and improving the reporting and writing.”
Oh, if it only had stopped there. But—as you might suspect, RJ got smacked: “I got horrible marks for my people skills. ‘Tactless.’ ‘Haughty.’ “Know-it-all.’ ‘Hostile.’ ‘Inflexible.’ “Preachy.’” And, RJ goes on to say: “If newspapers address this problem with their managers at all, they usually do so by saying ‘stop being such a jerk.’ But neither they nor the manager in question usually has any idea HOW that’s supposed to happen.”
RJ was fortunate to know someone who does management training for corporate executives, and he asked that consultant for help. The coach offered solid advice, and it mirrors much of the work we do with newsroom leaders here at Poynter when helping journalists grow as leaders:
- Draw a distinction between personality and behavior. You’re not likely to change your adult personality. But you can change specific objectionable behaviors.
- When leading others, think in terms of objective, quantifiable performance measures for them. As RJ says, “…I stop saying ‘Reporter X is lazy’ and think more in terms of ‘Reporter X failed to check our archives before reporting Story Y, as borne out by this fact error.” RJ then frames his feedback to that reporter accordingly.
- Find a coach in your own organization to give you candid, caring feedback on your performance as a manager.
- Utilize any opportunities your company provides for management training so you can learn more about your management style and its effectiveness.
- If you are not good at having difficult conversations with employees, practice them first. Get feedback on your tone, your temper, your body language, your choice of words.
- Ask your employees to give you feedback on your management style. Ask them to tell you about specific things you do and say. What really helps them? What hurts?
- Let your bosses know you are working on your leadership skills, especially if they’ve pointed out your need to grow. Invest them in your success.
RJ says the best news is that the coach “has gotten me to believe that I can retain my passion for journalism while addressing these other issues. Going in, I figured it was one or the other.”
I think there’s even better news. RJ ended his message by telling me “I’ve made progress, and my direct reports have noticed, even if they question the sincerity or duration of the change. In a way, it’s a lot like an alcoholic’s quitting drinking; you’re never really cured; it’s always just one day at a time… I wasn’t a jerk to any of my reporters today.”
RJ, I think you’re going to find that recovery from jerk-hood gets easier with time. After all, unlike alcoholism, it is not a physical illness. It is a manageable set of behaviors. As you consistently modify them, your colleagues will respond personally and professionally to your improved management style. Their performance level is likely to rise along with yours.
And your passion? It will not only be effective, it just might become infectious.