This section focuses on how you must hold already employed staffers accountable for specific results that arise from learning, practicing and excelling at required skills, behaviors, attitudes and working relationships.
Legacy newspaper enterprises have a significant number of already employed folks who must learn specific new skills, behaviors, attitudes and working relationships.
It’s critically important to define — with the right level of specificity — the roles and skills you need.
Compare where you are now versus what’s required. Here’s a sample questionnaire for your staff.
Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: Leverage the tools behind performance-driven change to operationalize diversity, equity and inclusion in your enterprise.
Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: Online abuse is one of the largest threats journalists face. For the safety and wellness of our staff at The Seattle Times, it was important to create a clear online abuse policy to report incidents and a plan to respond. We think it could help you, too.
The New York Times has created training materials to help its journalists work better with data. You can use them in your newsroom too.
Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: As part of a newsroom reorganization, The Philadelphia Inquirer built an audience development team to support its transition to a digital subscription business. It’s a team anchored by versatility and diversification. We wanted to create a data-informed newsroom (not data-led, as solid news judgment is just as important as ever) to achieve responsible reach and loyalty at scale for its journalism.
Here’s an idea to steal and adapt: The Bay Area News Group had moved to a digital first publishing platform but quickly realized some writers and editors were finding an audience for their content better than others. They realized they needed to get everyone on the same page — with a suite of digital content guides.
How to encourage experimentation in your newsroom
A crowdsourced list of the most important skills journalists can teach themselves
Hold already employed folks accountable for results; identify, attract, hire and onboard new folks – then hold them accountable for results; and partner and/or use independent contractors – and hold them accountable for results.
Performance is the primary objective of change, not change. Instead of asking folks to commit to attending headline or tweeting training, get them to commit to specific performance results that depend on excellent headline writing or tweeting.
The game of 21st century news and information is dynamic. Senior leaders must regularly step back to evaluate the shifts happening.