Newspapers Reach Opinion Leaders    

by Randy Hines

Based on the 2004-2005 U.S. Opinion Leaders survey, The New York Times ranks as more “influential” among 156 print, broadcast and cable media in reaching U.S. opinion leaders.

Conducted by Erdos & Morgan, the study placed the weekday edition of The Times first among all media surveyed in reaching these U.S. opinion leaders. Almost two-thirds of the respondents read The New York Times, an increase of three percent from the 2002 study.

That information is not earth shattering to Keystone State journalists, who have known from sundry studies that opinion leaders turn to national and local newspapers as key sources of information. Thus, editors, department heads and reporters themselves function as leaders in channeling news and commentary to their readers. 

Most of us are fortunate to have served under capable leadership in the newsroom. I’ve had editors who occasionally nitpicked my copy—for no explainable reason. Another wisely prohibited me from writing a front-page story about my being assaulted by striking employees who objected to their picture being taken on a public sidewalk.

Of course, horror stories are out there about terrible editors lacking leadership skills. If you send them to me, I’ll collect them into a future column so we can learn from such mistakes. All contributions will remain nameless.

One such collection of bad bosses was gathered a few years ago by David Molpus, NPR’s workplace reporter. Within two days of announcing his story idea, he had 300 e-mail examples.

“My former boss…had a habit of snapping fingers to summon support staff, or, if in search of a secretary, would bang on the women’s restroom door calling out names until someone responded,” contributed one listener.

Leadership expert John C. Maxwell, author of several best sellers, made reference to the NPR story in his November issue of Leadership Wired.

“When I read about such behavior, I’m reminded how critical good relational skills are in the life of a leader,” Maxwell wrote.

“The people in your sphere of influence aren't machines; they're unique beings with their own personalities, talents, shortcomings, and needs. You have to get to know the members of your team individually. You have to find out what motivates each one, and then incorporate that into how you lead them.”

Maxwell suggested five relationship rules that leaders (and editors) need to follow:

1. Get along with yourself.
There's a reason why this rule is No. 1 on my list. If you learn to get along with yourself, then you'll find it will be easier to get along with the people around you. Read this carefully: hurting people hurt people. Over the years, I've observed that people who can't get along with themselves can't get along with anyone else, either. If your act's not together, you're going to have relationship problems all your life. So learn to like yourself.

2. Value people.
Valuing people will keep you from manipulating them. It will keep you from treating your employees like servants or slaves. It will keep you from handling others badly simply because you're having a bad day. Of course, you can't just give lip service to valuing people. It's not something you can fake. You cannot make another person feel important if you secretly feel that he or she is a nobody.

3. Make the effort to form relationships.
It takes a great deal of energy to develop relationships…As a leader, you have plenty of other responsibilities that require large amounts of energy, including the very act of leading itself. But though it might be tempting to put relationship building on the back burner as you focus on these other things, I encourage you not to do it. When you invest in relationships—with the people you lead, with your peers, with professional colleagues—you build a network that can provide encouragement, inspiration and support during good times and bad. And you also avoid one of humanity's saddest states: loneliness.

4. Understand the reciprocity rule.
What is this rule? Over time, people come to share reciprocally, similar attitudes toward each other. For example, if you have a good attitude toward others and you maintain a good attitude toward them, eventually they'll have a good attitude towards you. Conversely, if you have a bad attitude toward someone and you continue to maintain that bad attitude toward him, eventually (if not sooner), he'll have a bad attitude toward you. In other words, when it comes to attitudes, what comes around, goes around.

5. Follow the Golden Rule.
You may have been looking for something a bit more revolutionary, but there's a reason this principle has withstood the test of time. If you want to have productive, authentic relationships with the people you lead and work with, do unto others as you'd have them to do unto you.

Maxwell’s five maxims will make you a better leader in the newsroom and a better member of society, whether you’re the publisher, a district circulation manger or a reporter. 

“But it won't stop with you,” Maxwell concluded. “As you practice these principles, the people you lead will notice. And not only will they notice, they'll start following your example.”

Since January is the month for making life-changing resolutions, why not consider your leadership role within the Pennsylvania journalism profession?

Dr. Randy Hines teaches at Susquehanna University’s Department of Communications and Theatre Arts. Please send examples of poor leadership by editors to me at 514 University Ave., Selinsgrove, PA 17870 or randyhinesapr@yahoo.com. No names will be used with the guilty parties.