The Indiana Publisher

Creating an environment that breeds success Pete Van Baalen Fort Wayne Newspaper With the new year ahead of us, many people take time to reflect on the happenings of the past year, both personally and professionally. It is time to taken an inventory if you will, on the assets and liabilities on your ledger. And it is a time to make plans to improve the performance of that ledger by this time next year. I don't make resolutions. They have not motivated me, which is not to say they aren't a good thing. My focus is on improvement, but day over day improvement has been a better motivator for me. But as I make plans for 2018, there are some definite roadblocks I'd like to avoid, and a recent episode of CNBC's The Profit once again illustrated them very well. The TV show The Profit features Marcus Lemonis who invests in small businesses, then helps them to improve their prospects by working to improve three key areas of business: people, process and product. I would love to see Lemonis buy a media company and do an hour long show on ways to improve. Until then, I extract nuggets of great ideas from other industries. That includes a recent episode with a struggling denim jean company in Detroit. Lemonis boiled down the issues this company was facing to three things. It is a list that many organizations share, and the solutions aren't as difficult as you might think. 1) Forgetting to have fun. I've said many times that I believe I could be successful running any type of business, but I choose to work in the media because it is fun. The opportunity to engage with communities, businesses and readers is unlike most any other business. It brings me joy, though I will admit that I sometimes forget that. Innovation and creativity, the process of building a better mousetrap if you will, should be fun, and something we are trying to do every single day. 2) Reluctance to adjust a business strategy. Doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results pretty well sums up media companies. Former Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki's quote, "If you dislike change, you're going to dislike irrelevance even more" rings in my head daily as I work. Change must be a part of our daily lives. Refusing to change, or burying your head in the sand and refusing to acknowledge the shifts in the marketplace rarely has a positive outcome. Change can be messy, and is no guarantee of success. But the more chances you take, the successes you will find every time. 3) Giving orders instead of collaborating. The best managers I've ever worked for excelled at building a collaborative environ- ment. As a manager, once you realize you don't have to solve every problem on your own you instantly become a better manager. The best managers create the environment for innovation and problem solving. Back in the 1980's, Ronald Reagan put together a team of advisers that were the best of the best on the topics that our country and the Reagan presidency was facing. Reagan boasted that he didn't have to be the smartest guy in the room. He just needed to be the leader for the group, keep them focused on the goal and helping them to communicate the best way of handling those tough issues. That concept still works today. Having a management style that kills creativity and innovation will kill a business, or at the very least stunt its possible growth. Our industry, or any industry for that matter cannot survive without adaptation and change. The best way to adapt and change is to be the leader that sets up the environment that allows the best and brightest to shine. Managers, start listening — especially to new ideas. Read Pete Van Baalen's blog at petevanbaalen.com. Van Baalen January 2018 Marketing news & commentary The best way to adapt and change is to be the leader that sets up the environment that allows the best and brightest to shine. The America East Media Busi- ness & Technology Conference, administered by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, will take place March 12-14, 2018 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa. Located within hours of the na- tion's largest newspapers and news media organizations, the confer- ence is the industry's leading re- gional event, offering attendees and vendors the chance to engage through a variety of educational sessions, awards presentations, net- working functions and more. Each year, more than 250 news media companies are represented, attract- ing attendees from 20+ states. Programming is designed to meet the needs of all areas of the business, including those in pro- duction, sales and marketing, cir- culation, editorial, advertising and management. The 2018 event will feature multiple session tracks, interactive hands-on workshops and various networking opportunities on the trade show floor. Industry leaders will address hot topics and discuss current trends in both the print and digital sides of the news media landscape. On Monday, March 12, the conference kicks off with a key- note panel led by Michael Klin- gensmith, Minneapolis Star-Tri- bune Publisher & CEO and News Media Alliance Chairman. Klin- gensmith will lead a wide-ranging, candid conversation about the in- dustry's challenges and opportuni- ties with publishers from papers of various sizes. Additional program- ming highlights include: • Thinking Like a Startup: Building a Culture of Innovation • Classifieds Redux • Regional Printing and Outsourcing Opportunities • Working with Frenemies To register and for informa- tion, visit america-east.com. Reg- ister before Feb. 9 to receive the early-bird discount. 2018 America East offers programming designed to meet the needs of news media companies INAEA Revenue Sharing Idea Exchange Call Join newspaper business managers from around the state on the quarterly Indiana News- paper Advertising Executives Association conference call. The 45-60 minute calls offer an opportunity to share innova- tive revenue generating ideas and experiences. 2018 call dates Feb. 8 May 3 Aug. 2 Oct. 3 All calls are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EDT. Dial 857-232-0158, enter code #599522. Page 3

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