the leadership role of editor in chief or managing editor? (See Table 6, Question 8) These misconceptions were divided into five categories: misconceptions about leadership competencies, misconceptions about commitment, misconceptions about management, misconceptions concerning staff, and misconceptions concerning support from the college/university community as shown in Table 11. The examples given by panelists were divided into categories to facilitate analysis. Some of the examples may be relevant to more than one category.
Although the panel cited more examples of misconceptions about leadership competencies than any other misconceptions, misconceptions about commitment are discussed first because understanding commitment is critical to leadership (Kouzes and Posner, 1997). It is a prerequisite that should serve as a guide to developing the
leadership competencies necessary to succeed in that role.
Table 11. Misconceptions Editors Had Concerning the Top Leadership Role Before Assuming That Position
Misconceptions Concerning Leadership Competencies
1. I didn't understand the extent to which the editor has to be a leader along with all the other duties 2. Looked at the editor in chief more as the highest copy editor rather than a leader
3. Thought I just needed to be able to write proficiently and know grammar and style rules 4. I found it easy to come up with a vision; not so with getting others to buy in
5. Thought the respect would come with job (title). Difficulty of earning staff members’ respect 6. Recognizing how important leadership skills would be and how much of a difference they would
make
7. I thought they were all-knowing, but even the editor in chief makes mistakes
8. I think I had it in my head that the editor was this all-knowing being that could do no wrong 9. Thought it would be a thankless task. However, it has been immensely gratifying; stressful but
Table 11. Continued
Misconceptions about Commitment (magnitude of responsibility)
1. The long hours and amount of patience required are not as easy as it looks or sounds 2. Thought the role would be easier
3. That it was a part-time job 4. It's hard work
5. The job is way more involved and taxing than the stipend or recognition covers 6. I knew it wasn’t an easy task, but I didn’t know it would be so stressful 7. High level of responsibility required
Misconceptions about Management
1. It would be easier to delegate
2. Could not and should not attempt to do everything myself
3. Degree to which I would deal with difficult people on a daily basis (staff, readership) 4. Job was more about managing people, than editing or writing
5. Thought management would be easier
Misconceptions Concerning Staff
1. Thought that people would do their jobs 2. The belief that no one would leave me hanging
3. Thought the staff would know the basic rules of journalism 4. Staff would know how to write effective news stories
5. How much effort it takes, especially in a volunteer organization (volunteer attitude, not committed)
Misconceptions Concerning Support from the College/University Community
1. Professors and administrators would want to help the newspaper
2. Students and faculty do not understand the work and responsibility of producing a newspaper 3. Negative comments of faculty and students (after only getting 2 hours of sleep) hurts a lot
Misconceptions about Commitment (Magnitude of Responsibility)
Despite the panel members level of leadership experience, they still reported being surprised by the amount and level of responsibility associated with the top
leadership role. Even those who had served as managing editor, and worked side by side with the editor in chief, stated they were surprised by the impact of having the ultimate responsibility. One expert who rose through the ranks from reporter, news editor, and managing editor, to editor in chief of a daily newspaper responded:
After serving as managing editor, I thought the transition into the editor in chief position would be an easy one. But I soon learned that even though I had been performing the same literal actions as the editor in chief, that the higher level of responsibility was definitely present as chief.
Another editor with seven years experience, including assistant editor, said he was surprised the top leadership role required so much time.
It is, in fact, a full-time job! You have to spend practically every day there or at least be on top of things all the time…they (editors in chief) are going to be there almost as much as in a real job or for that matter studying.
An editor with three years experience, one of which was as managing editor, reported the job was not as easy as it “looked or sounded” offering “long hours and “plenty of
patience” as examples. One panelist with only one and a half years of experience, although one was as managing editor, provided a similar response: “I knew it wasn’t an easy task, but I didn’t know it would be so stressful.” A panelist with more than two years experience, one as assistant editor, described her experience as the editor in chief as “way more involved and taxing than the stipend or recognition covered.”
One panelist who went directly from reporter to editor in chief of a weekly newspaper reported being unaware of the amount and level of responsibility associated with the top leadership role. She stated: “Just how much responsibility an editor has really surprised me—I alone am responsible for everything regarding the newspaper.” It is more understandable that a student whose experience was limited to reporting and writing would not understand or comprehend the extent of the responsibilities of the top leadership role.
Finally, one editor in chief of a daily stated the role of managing editor had prepared him for the top leadership role because he had “worked closely” with the previous editor. However, he stated before becoming managing editor he “thought the position was just putting the paper out on deadline every night.” Being managing editor, he stated, helped him understand what he called the “behind the scenes” work editors do.
Misconceptions Concerning Leadership Competencies
Panelists gave more examples of misconceptions concerning leadership competencies than any other category of misconceptions. Panelists recognized the leader's need for proficiency in journalism and management skills, but reported
success in the top newsroom position. Panelists also reported encountering problems with the authoritarian leadership approach, the ability to earn respect, the ability to motivate, inspire, and communicate a vision to the staff. What many of them lack is the experience with, or the exposure to, others who model the behaviors that, experts' state, enable leaders to inspire or motivate others.
Some of the panelists’ responses indicated that prior to taking the role of editor in chief they thought their journalism skills, such as reporting, writing, and editing, would be sufficient to help them succeed as leaders. While Kouzes and Posner (1995) explain that technical or functional competence is important for a leader, it is only one aspect of leadership and, it alone, is insufficient for effective leadership. They state “Expertise in leadership skills themselves is another dimension of competence. And the abilities to challenge, inspire, enable, model, and encourage must be demonstrated as well, if a leader is to be seen as capable” (p. 25).
An editor of a weekly who supervised 40 staff members stated,
Very early on I just looked at the editor in chief more as the highest copy editor than anything. I knew there were a number of other responsibilities but I didn't understand the extent to which the editor does have to be a leader in addition to all of the other duties.
Another panelist of a monthly publication who supervised a staff of 16 agreed, stating:
I thought I just needed to be able to write proficiently and know grammar and style rules. Little did I know that being an editor is so much more than that! I wrote very little as editor—I was lucky to squeeze out an editorial before deadline. My job was more about managing people than anything else.
In their responses to other questions, panelists cited competencies and skills they “most admired” in leaders they had served under. However, after assuming the role themselves, these competencies and skills were also ones they identified as having difficulty emulating.
They either did not translate those competencies or skills into ones they too would need when they became the top leader, were unable to develop those skills, or
they thought the skills would come with the title. Some panelists implied they thought the title would bring with it a certain amount of power. That attitude corresponds to the authoritarian leadership or “benevolent dictatorship” model common to some college and professional newsrooms. Leadership expert Jay Conger states: “In the old days, the boss would rely on authority and formal management, request it, and trust that those who hoped to move up would see that it got done” (Conger, in Burkett, 2001, p. 11). Conger also emphasizes that authority and formal management are no longer effective with most young people today. Evidence of this is found in the following response from a former editor in chief with two and a half years of experience, including news editor of a college daily, who stated: “I just thought the respect would come, I suppose, which was wrong. Earning people’s respect as a leader was more difficult than I thought it would be.” Kouzes and Posner (1995) state that “titles are granted, but it's your behavior that wins you respect (p. 12).” Her position did not appear to be one of arrogance, but rather ignorance of the leadership skill it took to earn and keep a follower’s respect. Once she realized the situation she took steps to educate herself. She stated: “I studied books to train myself on leadership skills.”
Although each panelist recalled “leadership deficiencies” in editors they served under, some panelists reported they still thought of the top editor as someone who was “all-knowing.”
One panelist whose experience was limited to reporting when he took the top leadership position stated:
I think the editor before me had a bit of a God complex. He was never wrong and made people believe he never was. I think I had it in my head that the editor was this all-knowing being who could do no wrong. That’s just silly.
Although this panelist began his tenure as editor with no previous newsroom leadership experience, he had more than four years experience as a reporter. Another panelist agreed: “Being editor does not make one a god, and there are many people in college who are convinced they are leaders when they are not.” A panelist with seven years experience, including several leadership positions before taking the top leadership position, stated: “I thought they [editors in chief] were all-knowing. But, we all make
mistakes and that is O.K. as long as you learn from them.” While these editors agree that it is unreasonable to expect leaders to be infallible, they do appear to think they should strive to earn the staff’s respect, and admit to, and learn from mistakes. Another editor emphasized: “It is important to simply recognize that a great leader isn’t just born. It doesn’t just happen. It takes training and sometimes failing [in order] to succeed as a leader.”
Panelists who understood the importance of newsroom leaders at all levels having good leadership skills seemed to have a more positive outlook concerning their roles. One panelist who plans to take the role of editor in chief next year, and served as managing editor at the time of the study, explained:
I never thought of the managing editor position being a large “leadership” role at all. I thought of it more as a management position (considering the editor in chief the sole leader) not recognizing how important leadership skills would be and how much of a difference they would make.
Another panelist who was editor in chief of a weekly newspaper and managed a staff of 25 stated:
My biggest misconception was that the job is largely a thankless task. It has been immensely gratifying to see a good newspaper become better, largely due to the efforts of the section editors, but also because of effective leadership on the parts of both the managing editor and myself. The staffers do seem to appreciate the difficulty of the job (so much so that no one applied for the position next semester, leaving me with another term in office, as it were). Leading the paper has been stressful, but worth it.
A panelist from a large private university daily, who managed a staff of 125, reported that he found it difficult to motivate his staff. He lamented the difficulties of dealing with a mostly “volunteer organization,” a common problem with college
newspaper staffs. He stated: “I found it easy to come up with a vision; not so easy getting others to buy in to my vision.” However, Kouzes and Posner (1997) explain that good leaders in a paid workforce do not get people to buy into their visions with monetary rewards or force associated with management. A leader’s ability to inspire people to
share or buy into his or her vision is a leadership skill these experts define as “The art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations (p.30).” Kouzes and Posner also state, “to get a true feel for the essence of leadership, assume that everyone who works for you is a volunteer (p.31).” They emphasize that leadership is about inspiring others to do something because they want to do it, not because they have to do it. Kouzes and Posner further state that “there are monumental differences between enlisting
support and giving orders, between gaining commitment and commanding obedience. Leaders sustain the requisite credibility by their actions—by challenging, inspiring, enabling, modeling, and encouraging” (p.31).
These panelists cite experience with traditional management where workers are motivated by the use of incentives such as promotions or bonuses, or by the threat of dismissal. They also understand the need to enlist support and gain commitment in a volunteer organization.
Misconceptions about Management
Kotter (1990) explains the primary function of management is to create orderly results that keep an organization working efficiently. He also states that “it is generally accepted today that management can largely be taught to adults either in school or on the job (p. 103).” This panel of experts indicated that management skills, including
controlling, problem solving, and delegating responsibility were a crucial part of their responsibility and success in the top newsroom leadership position. One editor from a daily stated that her previous experience as managing editor had helped train her for the skills she would need as editor in chief. She stated:
My biggest misconception as managing editor was the ease of management. I was rudely awakened when the editor in chief and I had to fire the night desk editor. My experience as managing editor prepared me more than I realized for editor in chief. My biggest misconception about editor in chief was the number of difficult people an editor must deal with in a day.
So although she had experience dealing with personnel problems when she began her tenure as editor in chief, she was surprised that this was a daily occurrence when she took over the top position.
Respondents went into the greatest detail about their experiences in relation to delegating responsibilities to peers in the newsroom. One panelist with three years experience, including managing editor, expressed frustration over her inability to entrust her staff to complete assigned tasks in a timely manner. She stated:
I believed that it would be easier to delegate and tell people what do to and to teach them…now I work by what others do which gets frustrating. I thought that people would do their jobs like they are told. I get aggravated when they do not do their work on time because then I cannot do mine.
Although there is agreement among panelists about the significant role the ability to delegate plays in the management of the student newsroom, there is a sharp contrast in the outcomes for those who attempt to develop this critical management skill. One top newsroom leader who had served in four staff positions, including sports editor and managing editor reported: “After holding the position (editor in chief) for some time, I realized that I could not, and should not, attempt to do everything myself.”
The most positive attitude and results concerning the ability of leaders to delegate work were reported by an editor of a daily who stated:
My biggest learning experience this semester has been in my interaction with other managers and leaders at the paper. Through many opportunities, I have learned when I need to step up myself, and take on extra work or help someone finish their job. I have also learned when to delegate a task to another staff member, and allow them to do the work. Doing this, I have learned, is a great way to show trust in coworkers. Knowing when to delegate and when to put the effort on my own shoulders is something I can carry into future leadership opportunities.
This editor did learn a key management skill while on the job and offered at least some insight to future editors about one way to teach that behavior—he modeled the behavior he wanted to see.
Misconceptions Concerning Staff
While top newsroom leaders reported being surprised by the magnitude of the responsibilities and level of commitment expected of them by the staff and others, they reported being equally surprised by the lack of commitment on the part of many staff members. Panelists, even those with three or more years of leadership experience, reported their disappointment with staff members who do not honor their commitments to the newspaper. Although most college newspaper staffs are largely volunteer, some editors in chief said they assumed their staffs would be dedicated as well as competent. They admit this was not often the case, especially when dealing with an unpaid staff. A former editor with four years experience at a large private university daily, stated: “My biggest misconception was how much effort it takes, especially in a volunteer
organization, to have staff members follow your advice and carry out your ideas.” Another panelist with three years experience, two in top leadership positions, who had similar frustrations with the “volunteer attitude” stated: “I thought that people cared about their jobs just as much as I did. I relied on the belief that no one would leave me hanging; I was wrong.” Another panelist, also with three years experience, stated: “I thought that people would do their jobs like they were told. I get aggravated when they do not do their work on time because then I cannot do mine.”
One panelist said her biggest misconception about her leadership role as an incoming editor in chief was that her small staff of 11-15 of a monthly community college newspaper would exhibit a higher level of competence in journalism. She stated: “I thought most of the people on my staff would know how to write effective news stories, headlines, and know the basic rules of journalism. I had to teach the majority of