BlueCoast Media Group

Recreating yourself after a lifetime in one industry

Meet super employee team builder, Max Isaac

I’ve always thought that newspaper reporters and media people were some of the brightest, hardest-working, devoted and fun people to be around. They could also be prima donnas, low-lifes and general pains in the butt, me in the latter group at times for sure.

The digital revolution has thrown most of them out of work. When the Rocky Mountain News (1859-2009), a great newspaper if there ever was one, shut down the various reporters and writers who had worked there during the past 20 years used Facebook to keep tabs on one another. I was a business reporter and columnist there from 1989 to 1993. Now I have to say that I only joined Facebook in 2009 in order to connect with my former co-workers and that today, it scares me more than anything else for privacy reasons. Today I stay on there just to keep tabs on my nephews and nieces, who post an alarming amount of personal information there. Despite all the change, I know that at heart and by training I’ll always be a reporter, just like my brother will always be a Navy man.

I decided to sift through my Facebook and Linked-In contacts to take a look at “where are they now?”  The results are posted below.  Only a handful of them are still in the newspaper business. I believe that story tellers, seekers of the truth and generally people with a lot of integrity and initiative – reporters have these qualities – are valuable, especially in the instant communications age that we live in. It is so different now. Back then, we in the media had the power. CEOs would tremble when we walked in the room. Actors and politicians fawned over us. In today’s self-publishing world, the power has been scattered around the bits and bytes of the Internet and the truth is crowd-sourced, whether it is the truth about a stock investment, a hotel or vacation property or a particular type of appliance.

During my travels through the business world I’ve been fortunate enough to meet, at least over the phone, Max Isaac, principal of 3Circle Partners in Toronto. 3Circle uses a scientific, psychological approach to helping corporations with building the right teams for the company’s success. So I asked Max first, “What kind of psychological change occurs to a person when they have worked in one career/industry most of their lives and the industry goes away?” and then, “What type of person will be able to adapt the best and not be able to adapt?”

In answering the first question, Isaac said that generalizing about people is dangerous.  A person’s core personality is more important than anything else. So is his financial position, self-esteem and extent to which he identifies with his job. I would interject that financial position is no big deal because reporters are used to living on a shoestring budget; they have too much self-esteem and they all identify too much with their jobs.

“There is a ton of literature on this topic, but the bottom line is that individuals vary in very predictable ways,” Isaac says. “Some of us are more structured in our thinking and may have a little more trouble than others in dealing with change. Others roll with the punches much better.”

So what’s the answer to question 2?

Isaac says: “Again, it depends. Some people like to think about people in black and white terms: They are A or B players. Make sure you only choose A players in your organization. This is a very flawed and superficial way or looking at it. On this question I would venture that from my personal experience there are possibly three major factors that may play a role in how people cope with negative change:

•             Their resilience, which is a psychological term that is used to describe the degree to which people can weather challenges in their lives and deal with stress.

•             Another factor is the degree to which an individual has an ‘internal locus of control.’ Basically what this means is that, for a variety of genetic and environmental reasons, an individual has a mental outlook that they control their environment; the environment does not control them.

•             A success factor that I have noted in most individuals who succeed in adapting is what I’d call versatility: the ability to adjust situationally. The opposite would be those individuals (I’m sure you we all know someone like this) who always use the same approach to solve different problems. They tend to be rigid in their views and in how they deal with different situations of the human condition.”

So there you have it. Grow, keep an open mind and most difficult for former reporters; don’t be cynical. And you can succeed in the New Media economy too. If former sports reporter Sam Adams can, at age 50, launch a successful career as a stand-up comic; if sports columnist Dave Krieger can become a talk show host at the state’s largest radio station - not even talking sports all the time - then Keith DuBay can carve out niche helping firms with their self-publishing and writing for the media efforts. 

Here are my Facebook and Linked-In contacts who used to be in the newspaper or media business. The names have been omitted to protect the not-so-innocent, but you may figure out which one is you.

Society reporter, major newspaper: Unspecified consulting.

Sports reporter: Freelance writer.

Business reporter: Principal PR agency.

Business reporter: Editorial manager at start-up website focusing on online education, social, and commerce space.

Copy editor: Freelance copy editor and researcher.

Business reporter: Independent PR consultant.

Business reporter, editor: Community energy coordinator for a state university.

Feature columnist: Director of communications, state university.

Sports and business reporter: Independent PR consultant.

Business reporter: Metro editor, Denver Post.

Business reporter: Editor and health care writer, custom publishing group.

National trade publication editor: Editor at Reuters, NY

Business editor: Owner, business weekly in California.

Metro Editor: Freelance writer and editor.

Writer and editor, worldwide news service: Senior VP, New York PR agency.

Sports editor: Sports editor Midwest newspaper.

Business reporter: Freelance writer and editor.

Lifestyles reporter: Writer for government agency.

Design/page layout editor: Director of student media, state college.

Business reporter: New media editor, Denver business weekly.

Business writer: Business writer Col Springs newspaper.

Metro reporter: Editor at online news site.

Assistant sports editor: Content editor, network sports site.

Business reporter, editor, author: Independent media strategy and multimedia consultant.

Editor: Editor trade publication.

Sports columnist: Radio talk show host.

Business reporter and editor: Nationally syndicated business columnist.

Business reporter: Freelance writer.

Sports cartoonist: Freelance sports cartoonist.

Multi-media director: Freelance photographer, videographer and multimedia director at Internet start-up.

Photographer: Freelance photographer.

Business reporter: Freelance writer.

Assistant librarian: Researcher, consulting firm.

Business reporter, columnist: Columnist, Denver Post

Entertainment editor: Independent PR consultant.

Business reporter: Founded and writes Internet start-up news.

Metro reporter: Media relations director, Catholic health organization.

Lifestyles reporter: Online editor, magazine.

Business reporter: Business reporter, Denver Post.

Business editor: Business columnist and mystery novelist.

Book editor: Freelance writer, editor.

Metro editor: Web content editor, state university.

Newspaper librarian: School librarian.

Photographer: Freelance photographer.

Business reporter: Author, speaker.

Television reporter: Wife, mother.

Metro clerk: Political party worker.

Business editor: Freelance writer.

State reporter: Communications, state park department.

Business reporter, editor: Entrepreneur, consultant.

Metro reporter: Author, inspirational speaker.

Photographer: International news photographer, freelancer.

Photographer: Assistant photo editor, state university.

Photo director: Newspaper photo director different city.

Business journal owner/editor: Retired, consultant.

Metro reporter: Metro reporter back East.

Entertainment reporter: Communications state university.

Business news clerk: Unknown/retired.

Investigative reporter: Reporter back East.

Copy editor, reporter: Labor and employment specialist, state agency.

Features and business reporter: Communications director, Hospice of Denver.

Lifestyles reporter: Features columnist in Florida.

Metro editor, manager: Author.

Magazine editor, writer: Magazine editor, writer.

Society columnist: Society columnist, Las Vegas.

Business reporter: Won the Colorado lottery.

Business editor: Independent blogger and freelance writer.

Metro reporter: Communications school district.

And perhaps the ost creative of our bunch, someone I can name because he would not mind the attention: Former Rocky Mountain News sportswriter Sam Adams is now a comedian. And he’s good. I’ve seen him in person at ComedyWorks South. Sam paid his dues working obscure bars in places such as Nebraska and South Dakota and is honing his craft. Good luck Sam! His site is SamAdamsComedy.com.

Seven ideas to make you a better thought leader

Thought leaders don’t always follow the herd

Being a thought leader is tougher than it sounds. Thought leaders are either scholars, who have studied their subject in-depth and write and publish extensively on it; or practicing business leaders – including some consultants - whose careers are on the line if they aren’t smart enough in their industries to make the right decisions. The common denominator is that almost all of them speak or write on the subject.

The self-publishing feature of the digital revolution has opened up the playing field. Now anyone can write and publish their views. That doesn’t make someone a thought leader if they’ve posted 2,342 blog items on Subarus or social media. But the Internet has allowed some real thought leaders to blossom in their respective fields, whether their writings are published on their own sites or on a media site. 

So ya wanna be a thought leader?

Read everything you can and stay current in your chosen field of expertise but avoid using jargon.

1)      Every good thought leader learns to sift through all the informational noise in the world and focus on the good stuff. Staying current in your field may seem obvious. What’s less obvious is how few people actually do this. You need to stay ultra-current in your own field and many others as well. You need to read, a lot, and talk to as many smart people as you can. And don’t use jargon when you do. Many people in business who aren’t really current can’t convey an idea that is more than the latest buzzword they have heard others say. You know, those buzzwords such as “strategy/strategic” (often confused with the term “tactics”); “crowd-sourced” (as opposed to no other piece of knowledge in the history of thought?!); “customer centric” (if you aren’t, won’t your business go down the tubes?) “leading,” (everyone can’t be leading can they?); “methodology” (often confused with method because it sounds better but doesn’t mean the study of methods) and hell, even “thought leader,” which on its face, like every other marketing word, sounds good but in reality is pretty hard to claim, just like when you are “powered” by something, which I still haven’t figured out for the life of me, perhaps showing that I am indeed not a thought leader in the buzzword sense, at least.

A Forbes story contained the following regarding jargon: "People use jargon because they want to sound smart and credible when in fact they sound profoundly dim-witted and typically can't be understood, which defeats the purpose of speaking in the first place," says Karen Friedman, author of Shut Up and Say Something: Business Communication Strategies to Overcome Challenges and Influence Listeners (Praeger, 2010).

Have you spoken the word “utilize” instead of “use?” That’s a good indication that you are using buzzwords because they sound more important but convey the fact that you don’t know good English diction. You are trying to BS someone, not invigorate their thinking. It shows that you really aren’t  thoughtful or original.

2)      Don’t be afraid to be contrarian. It takes nerve to be a thought leader and mess up the sand castles on the beach. Think for yourself and don’t merely repeat what others have said. It takes a little courage. This idea relates to the one before it about buzzwords. The smartest people don’t need to follow the herd. They chart their own courses. If that course is controversial, then so be it. Show them your logic and understanding of the issue and convince them to respect your way of thinking. Here’s a quote that shows how stifling conventional wisdom can be: "Everything that can be invented has been invented," -- Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, US Office of Patents, 1899.

3)      Always be aware of the fundamentals of your industry. Do the best you can to see it for what it is. If your business is raising cows, don’t try to dress them up as sheep. Here’s an example: One of my clients at CRG Partners in New York, Rob Carringer, wrote an article about the ethanol business. His point was that while the ethanol industry tries to dress itself up as an entrepreneurial, small company sheep – renewable energy, clean burning fuel, a fuel that can be grown at home instead of imported from abroad – it’s really a cow; a commodity-based business that is only for the wealthiest, best-capitalized players that can control their supply chains.

4)      Never be defensive. Be open to ideas and alternatives. I’ve never met a person who was defensive in a meaningful discussion who wasn’t an idiot. Have you ever spent any time in the company of a true, successful innovative CEO? I have been around and interviewed hundreds of them during my 30-year career in business journalism. The best ones are easy to spot: They are listeners, information hounds. It’s almost like they want to know what each person in the room is thinking. They are always open to different ideas. Want to be a thought leader? Don’t build a fortress around your mind. You’ll end up falling in your own moat. I am truly blessed to work with my clients. As part of my job I have to intellectually challenge them to push harder, think better and be current on industry developments. The best of them laugh at my challenges. They are up to any type of hard questions and then some.

5)      Follow the money. Points 5 and 6 in regards to assessing people or business organizations or even current events are borrowed from my journalistic background. By following the money, you can analyze with a great deal of confidence any industry, trend or political process. As Aretha Franklin said in her album, figure out “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” It applies to almost every situation and sometimes leads you to white collar prison.

6)      Watch their feet; don’t listen to their mouths. One of the few things I learned in journalism school at the University of Washington was from a professor who told me to watch not what politicians say, but what they do. He wanted us to learn the rules of making law and then look for something in the political process that was out of the ordinary and find out why. It’s the same in sports or business or politics. It’s not about what you say; it’s what you do that matters.

7)      Bust your paradigm. Philosopher Thomas Kuhn wrote in his 1962 work, “The Structure of Scientific Revolution” that scientific paradigms didn’t change as a result of the scientific method that built up knowledge over time. Most scientific revolutions happened as a result of an observable mistake – an anomaly- that was not supposed to be there according to popular theory. At the same time you are remembering basic fundamentals of your industry; don’t be afraid to look at your industry from another view. After all, what you know and think are products of your language and how you view things through the screen of your collective experience. Look for ways to analyze your industry from a different view. Test each fundamental of your industry against reality to see if your paradigm holds up. Use outside opinions. For example, how does someone in an unrelated field see the issues in your industry? It might not be useful but something brilliant also might percolate.