Men and women bring very different skills to the leadership table.
This isn't news, what is news is that women's leadership skills are becoming more appreciated.
Joanna Barsh, co-author of Centered Leadership, was the speaker at the latest Riker-Danzig Women in Leadership reception at the Westin Governor Morris Hotel in Morristown.
Barsh pointed out two of the qualities women bring to leadership are a learning mindset and more positive than negative energy.
She isn't saying men are less interested in education. Barsh means women tend to be brought up to be trainers, to be the ones to answer questions. Sure dads are expected to teach their kids to ride a bike or toss a football and they are more likely today to help with homework, but moms tend to be the "answer" parent.
In addition, women have had to work harder to climb the ladders of their chosen professions, so they may be a little more open to opportunities for education, if they can arrange it.
Women are also seen as having more positive than negative energy. That may be open for debate, but perception often equals reality. Whatever, it is a different energy.
I'm not going to debate nature vs. nurture here. The fact remains when a female executive enters a room, a different vibe enters with her.
Women learn to move a certain way when they are around their peers and differently when they are around superiors or subordinates. A few years on a job reinforces those mannerisms.
Barsh said the fact women are perceived as able to face a difficult situation without going into attack mode works in their favor.
She reminded the millennials in the audience they know how to use their voice so they can invest in relationships. They understand where energy comes from and where it goes.
She advised all of her audience to start with their strengths. To be a sponsor ever more than a mentor. To be a good sponsor (or mentor) you have to first be a good listener and still be able to allow people to solve their own problems.
Women who gain some sort of leadership need to speak up, to pay it forward. And that is as energizing to the mentor as to the mentee.
Another advantage women executives may have is they can see the need to take a break and recover their energy while many men just work until they drop.
There were some men in the audience for Barsh's talk. Perhaps they heard that last part.
30 July 2015
15 July 2015
Report for America
Baby Boomers grew up with the Peace Corps, the Teacher Corps, Volunteers in Service to America, all of which promulgated the idea that we were obligated to serve our communities and our country.
Today, the Peace Crops still exists, along with Ameri-Corps and Teach for America. Whether the mindset still exists, I'm not sure.
Steve Walkman, a speaker at Engage Local, sponsored by the NJ News Commons, proposed an addition to this service -- Report for America.
He was speaking to a room full of journalists and educators with some community activists sprinkled around the ballroom of the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark. Heads were nodding. This was an audience who got it.
Journalism is a service profession, like teaching and nursing. Our job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable as the sainted Finley Peter Dunne once said. Nobody ever went into journalism to make money.
Report for America would go a long way toward providing news to underserved communities without the necessity of selling advertising, an increasingly difficult mission when there are so many ways to advertise.
Of course, Report for America would be a little different from the other government-sponsored service programs. Since the reporters would serve their communities as watchdogs, private funding would be preferable to public funding. Perhaps Scripps or Poynter or even Kiplinger could serve as sponsors. Grants are important, Waldman said, because "where there is a pot of money," somebody will use it.
Waldman calls for a highly selective process of choosing reporters. He advocates national and local recruiting. Perhaps, but the emphasis will have to be on local recruiting because the best local coverage comes from people who know the area. And, since it's likely these reporters will only stay in the program two years, they will need to start off with knowledge.
Of course, the downside is the survey that indicated only 28% of Americans believe journalists contribute a lot to society. But, that's a random questionnaire not taking into consideration people who's community is being threatened by a truck stop or a Walmart. Then, suddenly, they know how vital the press can be.
Waldman asked how you make people care. The answer is they care when they need to care. They appreciate the press when they need the press.
But Waldman also pointed out when people are asked about the press, they generally are thinking of the national media, not the working stiffs who are trying to make their communities better.
Today, the Peace Crops still exists, along with Ameri-Corps and Teach for America. Whether the mindset still exists, I'm not sure.
Steve Walkman, a speaker at Engage Local, sponsored by the NJ News Commons, proposed an addition to this service -- Report for America.
He was speaking to a room full of journalists and educators with some community activists sprinkled around the ballroom of the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark. Heads were nodding. This was an audience who got it.
Journalism is a service profession, like teaching and nursing. Our job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable as the sainted Finley Peter Dunne once said. Nobody ever went into journalism to make money.
 |
| The past and current presidents of the New Jersey Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Bob Schapiro and Miriam Ascorelli -- traditional journalists from broadcast and print. |
Report for America would go a long way toward providing news to underserved communities without the necessity of selling advertising, an increasingly difficult mission when there are so many ways to advertise.
Of course, Report for America would be a little different from the other government-sponsored service programs. Since the reporters would serve their communities as watchdogs, private funding would be preferable to public funding. Perhaps Scripps or Poynter or even Kiplinger could serve as sponsors. Grants are important, Waldman said, because "where there is a pot of money," somebody will use it.
Waldman calls for a highly selective process of choosing reporters. He advocates national and local recruiting. Perhaps, but the emphasis will have to be on local recruiting because the best local coverage comes from people who know the area. And, since it's likely these reporters will only stay in the program two years, they will need to start off with knowledge.
Of course, the downside is the survey that indicated only 28% of Americans believe journalists contribute a lot to society. But, that's a random questionnaire not taking into consideration people who's community is being threatened by a truck stop or a Walmart. Then, suddenly, they know how vital the press can be.
Waldman asked how you make people care. The answer is they care when they need to care. They appreciate the press when they need the press.
But Waldman also pointed out when people are asked about the press, they generally are thinking of the national media, not the working stiffs who are trying to make their communities better.
14 July 2015
Let's Just Hope Sree is Right
Sree Sreenvasan, guru of all things social media, had some semi-encouraging words for journalists at the 9th JournCamp, a great day of learning, jointly presented by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism.
Semi-encouraging is about all we can hope for today.
Some people call JournCamp a boot camp, but since Midtown Manhattan is somewhat less mosquito-ridden than Parris Island, I will refrain from so doing.
Sree was the closer after a day of great advice about practicing journalism in the digital/financially strapped/amateur-riddled modern age.
"When everybody's a writer, the trained pro stands taller. When everybody's a photographer, the trained pro stands taller." Those words do provide comfort, although we know they are true. It's so good to hear them in an era when we are rarely reminded.
There are so many charlatans out there. People pretending to know what they're doing. People posting screeds or just plain fiction in the guise of reporting.
It is disheartening when people actually believe some of the drivel that's out there, but we just have to persevere. A pep talk from Sree helped.
Sree quoted Dow Jones CEO Les Hinton, "the scarcest resource of the 21st Century is human attention." True that.
There's too much going on, too many photos posted, too MUCH. We pros need to know we stand out from the crowd. All of this is a good reason to band together and join a professional organization. SPJ being the biggest and best. We need each other.
Sree is an excellent mentor because he cautions against jumping into the deep end of the social media pool.
"Show excellent judgement on Twitter," he says. "Tweet as if it's the last tweet you'll ever send."
Think of Leonard Nimoy's final tweet: "life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP."
Aspire to that.
Sree also pointed out "it's not who follows you, it's who follows who follows you." He advises people to get influential followers by following influential people.
Tweet off your last tweet, make sure you reply to yourself," Sree advised.
"A big project deserves more than one tweet," he said, "build a sequence."
He also noted people should update their Twitter bio to reflect their "best Twitter you." And, have your email address in your bio "for the same reason Bob Woodward is in the DC phone book."
More advice included find the most memorable Twitter handle you can get and don't put your company name in it unless forced by your boss. "It's like having a tat of your current boyfriend's name."
And remember, "people have been fired over a single tweet."
"Social medea can get me in trouble today. Tweets will be in the Library of Congress," Sree said.
And your profile photo should be current. "If you're using an old pix, I wonder what else you're vain about."
Also remember, Sree said, the people who try to keep you from checking social media at work are the same petty managers who used to stop people from making personal phone calls.
"Don't engage," was a pertinent piece of advice. We all know people who allow themselves to be sucked into the abyss of silly arguments, nutso conspiracy theories, irrelevant trivia and all the common detritus of Facebook.
To quote a high school friend, "when did all the people we know turn into right wing wingnuts?"
Ignore them. Life is too short.
Correct blatant lies, of course, then get out quick.
Sree's closing remarks were that LinkedIn is the least understood and appreciated of the social media, but it is reliable and useful.
Semi-encouraging is about all we can hope for today.
Some people call JournCamp a boot camp, but since Midtown Manhattan is somewhat less mosquito-ridden than Parris Island, I will refrain from so doing.
Sree was the closer after a day of great advice about practicing journalism in the digital/financially strapped/amateur-riddled modern age.
There are so many charlatans out there. People pretending to know what they're doing. People posting screeds or just plain fiction in the guise of reporting.
It is disheartening when people actually believe some of the drivel that's out there, but we just have to persevere. A pep talk from Sree helped.
Sree quoted Dow Jones CEO Les Hinton, "the scarcest resource of the 21st Century is human attention." True that.
There's too much going on, too many photos posted, too MUCH. We pros need to know we stand out from the crowd. All of this is a good reason to band together and join a professional organization. SPJ being the biggest and best. We need each other.
Sree is an excellent mentor because he cautions against jumping into the deep end of the social media pool.
"Show excellent judgement on Twitter," he says. "Tweet as if it's the last tweet you'll ever send."
Think of Leonard Nimoy's final tweet: "life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP."
Aspire to that.
Sree also pointed out "it's not who follows you, it's who follows who follows you." He advises people to get influential followers by following influential people.
Tweet off your last tweet, make sure you reply to yourself," Sree advised.
"A big project deserves more than one tweet," he said, "build a sequence."
He also noted people should update their Twitter bio to reflect their "best Twitter you." And, have your email address in your bio "for the same reason Bob Woodward is in the DC phone book."
More advice included find the most memorable Twitter handle you can get and don't put your company name in it unless forced by your boss. "It's like having a tat of your current boyfriend's name."
And remember, "people have been fired over a single tweet."
"Social medea can get me in trouble today. Tweets will be in the Library of Congress," Sree said.
And your profile photo should be current. "If you're using an old pix, I wonder what else you're vain about."
Also remember, Sree said, the people who try to keep you from checking social media at work are the same petty managers who used to stop people from making personal phone calls.
"Don't engage," was a pertinent piece of advice. We all know people who allow themselves to be sucked into the abyss of silly arguments, nutso conspiracy theories, irrelevant trivia and all the common detritus of Facebook.
To quote a high school friend, "when did all the people we know turn into right wing wingnuts?"
Ignore them. Life is too short.
Correct blatant lies, of course, then get out quick.
Sree's closing remarks were that LinkedIn is the least understood and appreciated of the social media, but it is reliable and useful.
13 July 2015
The Dirty Dozen
 | |||||||
| Kevin Z. Smith, deputy director of the Kiplinger Center for Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State University details the Reporters Dirty Dozen Apps at JournCamp in NYC |
And, yes, I still send Christmas cards. Not pre-printed even. And, I write notes. In pen. Cursive. Remember cursive?
But a map? I mean, why?
Nevertheless, it sounds like a cool app. For work. Not to create a detailed graphic of where my friends live. I know where my friends live.
MapAList is one of the Digital Dirty Dozen presented at JournCamp by Kevin Z. Smith, deputy director of the Kiplinger Center for Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State University. And Smith showed a map of his boss's Christmas card list. Interesting.
JournCamp features panels and programs for journalists from students to old pros. It is co-sponsored by Kiplinger and the Society of Professional Journalists. The June 13 JournCamp was held in mid-town Manhattan under the auspices of the Deadline Club, the NYC SPJ chapter.
New technologies pop up like dandelions and the Digital Dirty Dozen is a list of helpful apps.
 | |
| And I thought this was high tech. . . |
Data.gov is a clearing house for most of the government's unclassified data. That's 113,000 data sets, or, as Smith quipped, "a black hole." But if you're looking for your grandmother's FBI file.
Videolicious (I'm a little bit suspicious of apps that sound like they were named by Rachael Ray's dog) is a simple video editing app. Since the only video I've ever shot on my phone is of my friend Rebecca playing Ski-Ball after drinking two Bushwhackers (think a White Russian milkshake), I've not been tempted to use it.
 |
| Smith with his trusty laptop handy. |
Voddio is a professional-grade audio and video recorder for use on your phone or tablet. Vericorder even allows you to include background music (which might have been useful when a colleague of mine tried to record a show on Greenwood Lake when the big weed harvester passed right behind him).
ProCam8 is a mere $4.99 from iTunes and provides a seamless movement from still to video, allows for screen touch shooting and is shareable immediately.
If you need your platforms monitored (and who doesn't), HootSuites is the recommended app.
Dragon Dictation is a great way to leave yourself a message without typing it.
Smith started off JournCamp and his interesting program was just the beginning. I highly recommend taking advantage if one comes your way.
12 July 2015
It's a Hard-Knock Life
No, I'm not going to jump into a production of Annie -- so be happy for that.
As an on and off freelancer for many years, I agree with the statement that freelancing is a hard-knock life.
But, it can be absolutely worth it.
Long before the decline of newsrooms, freelancing had a certain allure. Make your own hours (read that, write when the other parent was on duty). Be your own boss (read that, not work for an editor who was a) mean, b) nuts, c) boffing the 20-year-old photo clerk, d) a drunk, e) an EDITOR). Work on the stories you want (read that, not sitting through school board meetings).
Then the bottom fell out of the industry. A mixed blessing. It did increase the need for freelancers because news agencies didn't want to pay benefits. But, it also flooded the market with freelancers.
Alex Tarquinio, a long-time freelancer in financial journalism, presented a talk on how to survive the hard-knock life of freelancing at the Society of Professional Journalists/Kiplinger JournCamp in NYC in June.
Her audience ranged from students to recent grads to pros wanting to make the move to pros forced to make the move.
For the newbies she had tips such as create a startup checklist, decide what life changes you are willing to make (life eating tuna sandwiches and ramen noodles every day for a year), and decide how far you are willing to go outside your comfort zone (like covering a rock-climbing wedding or, worse, back to the school board).
As someone who has been on both sides of the freelancing game, stringer and editor, I can attest neither side is easy.
Editors don't want to underpay hard-working and talented freelancers, they are forced to. And they don't have time to hand-hold rookies as much as they'd like to. So, those with experience are better off than newbies when they have to deal with editors.
Seasoned pros have a different set of needs. We need to ask ourselves if we can afford the uncertainty. Once you have been used to a paycheck and a schedule, it can be unnerving to have to adjust your own time.
Old pros may also have more trouble writing outside their comfort zone. As well as a smaller comfort zone. But, then again, some of us have written about nearly everything. . .
It can also be harder for people used to having a job to market themselves. I found getting back into selling-myself mode the toughest part. But I did it. And hearing Alex was comforting in many ways.
As an on and off freelancer for many years, I agree with the statement that freelancing is a hard-knock life.
But, it can be absolutely worth it.
Long before the decline of newsrooms, freelancing had a certain allure. Make your own hours (read that, write when the other parent was on duty). Be your own boss (read that, not work for an editor who was a) mean, b) nuts, c) boffing the 20-year-old photo clerk, d) a drunk, e) an EDITOR). Work on the stories you want (read that, not sitting through school board meetings).
Then the bottom fell out of the industry. A mixed blessing. It did increase the need for freelancers because news agencies didn't want to pay benefits. But, it also flooded the market with freelancers.
 | ||||
| Alex Tarquinio |
Her audience ranged from students to recent grads to pros wanting to make the move to pros forced to make the move.
For the newbies she had tips such as create a startup checklist, decide what life changes you are willing to make (life eating tuna sandwiches and ramen noodles every day for a year), and decide how far you are willing to go outside your comfort zone (like covering a rock-climbing wedding or, worse, back to the school board).
As someone who has been on both sides of the freelancing game, stringer and editor, I can attest neither side is easy.
Editors don't want to underpay hard-working and talented freelancers, they are forced to. And they don't have time to hand-hold rookies as much as they'd like to. So, those with experience are better off than newbies when they have to deal with editors.
Seasoned pros have a different set of needs. We need to ask ourselves if we can afford the uncertainty. Once you have been used to a paycheck and a schedule, it can be unnerving to have to adjust your own time.
Old pros may also have more trouble writing outside their comfort zone. As well as a smaller comfort zone. But, then again, some of us have written about nearly everything. . .
It can also be harder for people used to having a job to market themselves. I found getting back into selling-myself mode the toughest part. But I did it. And hearing Alex was comforting in many ways.
02 July 2015
"Just the facts, Ma'am"
That's what Sgt. Joe Friday from the old TV series "Dragnet." And that's the way reporters think as well.
Reporters are taught to look for the facts. We are taught to look for the facts. We are also taught not to trust our emotions. Or anybody else's. We have to learn to write fast and short and use lots of quotes. That's what tells the whole story. But is it really the complete story?
Since we have been taught the average attention span of the average reader is growing shorter, so clear, concise stories would seem to be the best choice.
Breaking news and other deadline stories do need to be told that way, but not all stories fit that format and we are not doing justice to our readers if we stick to it.
Tom Hallman is a Pulitzer Prize winner who had a story turned into a movie-of-the-week starring William H. Macy. He travels the country teaching old pros and new graduates his form of narrative journalism. He was one of the speakers at JournCamp, a joint Society of Professional Journalists/Kiplinger traveling show that made a stop in New York City in June.
Even though the room was full of people who rarely have the luxury to write exactly the way we want about whatever we want, he did present plenty of tips we can all use.
He reminds us while j-school can teach the skills, it can't teach the feeling necessary to craft a great story. And it can't teach you to see, to observe.
Hallman offered some advice that is basically common sense: read everything you can get your hands on, meet people, talk to people. You have to be able to talk to anybody at any time.
I talk to people in the checkout line. On the subway. People are interesting. They have stories. And sometimes the best way to learn those stories is to tell a story of your own.
Today's newsroom isn't conducive to getting out of the newsroom, but getting out of the newsroom is essential. You have to people-watch and talk to people face to face. You can't fake interest. You have to be interested.
Hallman says you've got to be willing to dance with the story -- to bring your own energy. Sometimes your subject has energy, but you can't always count on it.
Always be open to the humorous, the lesson learned, Hallman says.
So often there is humor even in the worst situations. But there is a limit, a difference between black humor (a staple of journalists) and bad taste.
When a giant sinkhole opened up in a municipal parking lot, I couldn't resist the headline, "The Sinkhole That Ate Stanhope." The mayor and council weren't happy, but even they knew I had to do it.
Just, as Elvis said, "don't be cruel."
Reporters are taught to look for the facts. We are taught to look for the facts. We are also taught not to trust our emotions. Or anybody else's. We have to learn to write fast and short and use lots of quotes. That's what tells the whole story. But is it really the complete story?
Since we have been taught the average attention span of the average reader is growing shorter, so clear, concise stories would seem to be the best choice.
Breaking news and other deadline stories do need to be told that way, but not all stories fit that format and we are not doing justice to our readers if we stick to it.
Tom Hallman is a Pulitzer Prize winner who had a story turned into a movie-of-the-week starring William H. Macy. He travels the country teaching old pros and new graduates his form of narrative journalism. He was one of the speakers at JournCamp, a joint Society of Professional Journalists/Kiplinger traveling show that made a stop in New York City in June.
Even though the room was full of people who rarely have the luxury to write exactly the way we want about whatever we want, he did present plenty of tips we can all use.
He reminds us while j-school can teach the skills, it can't teach the feeling necessary to craft a great story. And it can't teach you to see, to observe.
Hallman offered some advice that is basically common sense: read everything you can get your hands on, meet people, talk to people. You have to be able to talk to anybody at any time.
I talk to people in the checkout line. On the subway. People are interesting. They have stories. And sometimes the best way to learn those stories is to tell a story of your own.
Today's newsroom isn't conducive to getting out of the newsroom, but getting out of the newsroom is essential. You have to people-watch and talk to people face to face. You can't fake interest. You have to be interested.
Hallman says you've got to be willing to dance with the story -- to bring your own energy. Sometimes your subject has energy, but you can't always count on it.
Always be open to the humorous, the lesson learned, Hallman says.
So often there is humor even in the worst situations. But there is a limit, a difference between black humor (a staple of journalists) and bad taste.
When a giant sinkhole opened up in a municipal parking lot, I couldn't resist the headline, "The Sinkhole That Ate Stanhope." The mayor and council weren't happy, but even they knew I had to do it.
Just, as Elvis said, "don't be cruel."
 |
| Tom Hallman reads one of his narrative stories at JournCamp |
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