By Butch Ward
Distinguished Fellow

The nine editors sitting at desks in the Community College classroom were quiet. The question posed by my colleague, Gregory Favre, had paused the conversation about leadership and its importance to the journalists covering the worst natural disaster in American history.

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"In the months ahead," Gregory had asked the editors, "as you continue to cover the aftermath of this hurricane, what will your staffs need from you in terms of leadership?"

My feet were cold. The bare concrete floor, like so many others in this world that Katrina ravaged, had been stripped of its flood-ruined carpet. I wondered how long the waiting list is for new carpet in southern Mississippi.

Stan Tiner, editor of the Biloxi Sun Herald, broke the silence.

"The answer is," he said, pausing: ‘We don’t know." He paused again. "I mean, we’ve never been through anything like this before. This is a no-man’s land. We don’t know exactly what our staffs will need."

He was right, of course. None of us in that room had led our staffs through anything like this hurricane that laid waste to the Gulf Coast four months ago. But Gregory knew that Stan wasn’t giving himself enough credit. So he challenged him.

"You might not know exactly what your staff will need," Gregory said, "but you won’t just deal with things as they come each day. You will rely on certain principles of leadership – like you’ve been doing ever since this began."

Indeed, beginning in the days leading up to Katrina’s onslaught, Stan Tiner and the other newsroom leaders we met last weekend have worked mightily to lead their newsrooms through the coverage of a crisis – a crisis, that in this case, also has victimized many of the journalists as well.

Looking back on what they taught me during our two days together, I realize how many of their acts of leadership apply to our everyday pursuits of good journalism. For example, when we asked them to recall examples of effective leadership they had witnessed and the qualities exhibited by the leaders they admired, their list included:

Listening. Decisive. Trustworthy. Dependable. Calm. Focused decision-making. Able to clarify. Allocates resources effectively. Knows when to empower, when to take charge. Exudes confidence. Communicates well. Motivates. Prepares – as a plan. Is There. Empathetic. Compassionate. Seeks input, and allows venting.

When I think of the best leaders I’ve encountered in newsrooms, I picture women and men who possess those very same qualities.

I think of men and women who believe the leadership you demonstrate every day prepares you to lead in times of crisis.

One editor observed that since Katrina, she was taking more time to learn what’s happening in the lives of her staff, so that she could better respond to their personal issues.

Another editor agreed, and observed that many editors are taught to keep a distance from their staffs; getting too close makes it difficult to manage, the theory goes.

Listening to these editors share how their staffs have responded to compassionate leadership suggests we might want to throw that theory on the pile with the ruined carpets. Aren’t I much more inclined to follow the editor who has demonstrated a concern for me? Won’t I respond much more enthusiastically to the editor who understands that I am struggling every day to balance this very hard work with life’s challenging issues?

The danger, it seems, is not a matter of getting too close to someone; the danger is not knowing someone – a very poor basis for establishing any kind of effective relationship.

The editors also discussed how their values and those of their communities may have changed – or been amplified – by this incredible experience. We agreed that many values – including fairness, truth, accuracy, usefulness, relevance, compassion and independence – are largely shared by journalists and the community alike. We also agreed that journalists and the community share a belief in the value of watchdog journalism – until, of course, the journalism collides with someone’s personal interests. And the community holds some values, the editors said, that might not make their list: patriotism, religion, more positive and less negative news.

Which values have the journalists decided in Katrina’s aftermath are even more important?

Responsiveness. Helpfulness. Providing the bridge to government.

We talked about values because of the potential for conflict when our values clash with those of our audience. And we discussed whether in the aftermath of Katrina, that potential for conflict had changed. Certainly it still exists – the journalist’s determination to monitor the recovery effort and those responsible for its success undoubtedly will ruffle some feathers. But is the potential for conflict any greater?

One important change is the much more intimate relationship that exists between the newsroom and the audience in Katrina’s aftermath. For now, at least, the shared experience of braving catastrophe has made the journalist’s connection to the audience much stronger—and certainly demonstrated the journalist’s commitment to the health and well-being of the community.

But as in families, closeness can lead to higher highs and lower lows. Feelings are strong. Letdowns become betrayals.

So how do good leaders mitigate the potential for conflicts with the community’s values?

Here’s what the editors suggested:

"Listen to the community." "Be open to learning." "Be willing to clarify or correct." "Use good judgment." "Reach out to the audience."

Again, I was struck how good leaders practice these same approaches every day, not just in times of crisis. I was also struck by the realization that this style of leadership requires a big dose of humility. Doesn’t it?

Ask yourself: Am I be open to the possibility that the next call I get might completely change the direction of a story we’re reporting or an editorial stand we’ve taken? Does my newsroom exhibit that level of humility?

Ultimately, we arrived at the question that quieted the room – at least momentarily: What will our staffs need from their leaders in the weeks and months ahead?

"Keep talking with them." "Help them feed off your energy, and feed off theirs." "Stand in their shoes." "Help them find a measure of control – in their stories and in their personal lives." "Respond to them individually – not one-size-fits-all." "Plan more—reduce the ‘pinball effect.’" "Think unconventionally."

Sounds like someone I’d like to follow.

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