Leadership & Team Building.
Our adviser at the time, Ray Westbrook, called me into his office merely a week after he named me editor-in-chief of The ReMarker. “Shreyan, unfortunately I’m resigning.” In the moment, I thought he was joking. But he wasn’t smiling. I was stunned. Ray had practically revolutionized the St. Mark’s journalism program through his many years of employment at the school. He’s a role model for everyone on staff, a great teacher and an even better adviser, so to say I was disappointed to not be able to work with him as editor-in-chief would be an understatement. If leadership was most needed at any point in The ReMarker’s history, it was right then — I knew I was up for the challenge.
A GOOD LEADER…
utilizes empathy and passion in conflict resolution. As editor-in-chief, it’s my job to bring down the hammer when needed, like when someone misses a deadline, but it’s also my job to be understanding and empathetic. I’ve gone through practically everything a younger journalist on staff is currently going through — tradition and continuity over time are marvelous things.
understands that respect is a two-way street. Through every endeavor, I’ve tried to cultivate a positive, enjoyable atmosphere in our publications suite. I value redirection over chastisement — while I may be disappointed in someone’s work (or lack thereof), criticism is not the answer. I try to offer solutions, or I’ll encourage them to look at things from a different angle.
knows when to laugh. I love the quote, “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing something wrong.” During my interview with Ray for the editor-in-chief position, he asked me how I planned to deal with a few journalists who had been slacking off the past year. I said, “I’m going to remind them why they joined journalism in the first place, and I’m going to make sure they’re enjoying themselves every time they step foot in the publications suite.”
Here’s my official job description:
Responsible for the overall integrity of the newspaper (editorial content, appearance, coverage, production scheduling, staff/personnel issues and advertising).
Coordinate intensive training for editors through summer retreat and workshop.
Chair the Editorial Board: write editorials as directed
Working with managing editors, ensure that layout/production efforts are completed on time.
Assure that all photographic and visual needs are submitted in a timely manner.
Coordinate printing needs and production schedule with our printer, Greater Dallas Press.
Though Ray was always available to offer advice, throughout the majority of the summer, we were without an adviser. But that didn’t stop my team and me. We produced a 32-page issue-driven, gun violence themed Focus magazine (pictured right.) Feel free to click through its pages. I also coordinated various meetings with our Editorial Board to work on the new design and to enhance production operations.
Leadership
When I found out Jenny Dial Creech (pictured right), a brilliant, nationally distinguished journalist in her own right, was going to be our new adviser, I was so excited to see what’d become of the paper. Still, there were many unknowns. The task of building a positive team culture with a new adviser and cultivating a relationship between my staff members and Jenny was largely in my hands. I like to think I’ve done a good job with team building, and I hope Jenny and my staff feel the same way.
Personal connection is crucial in team building. One of my biggest strengths is identifying the skills my staff members possess and bringing out the best in them. I’m proud to say I’m surrounded by a team of extremely talented journalists — a team that knows me well, and that I know well. Our publications suite has been an intense newsroom atmosphere, but it’s also been a place where we’ve kicked back and watched the World Cup together. To the right is a picture of members of our staff after successfully ‘escaping the room’ at Escape the Room.
