Recap: Transformative Transparency Exchange - women leaders
On March 25, we held our inaugural session in NLA’s new Transformative Transparency Exchange series. This first event was geared toward women leaders during Women’s History Month.
Speakers included Maribel Wadsworth, head of consumer and news division at Gannett; Whitney Johnson, director of visual and immersive experiences at National Geographic; and Lauren Williams, who’s launching a new venture called Capital B but was previously editor-in-chief at Vox. The conversation was moderated by Katrice Hardy, editor of the Indianapolis Star and NLA Board member and diversity committee chair.
Here’s a broad recap of what we discussed, with some tips our speakers shared.
Pivoting to remote work last March was difficult for everyone, and adding in a layer of childcare made for some truly challenging moments.
Work/life balance can feel impossible during “normal times.” When you add in a global pandemic and racial reckoning in the U.S., it can put things into sharper focus.
Here are a few takeaways and tips.
It’s helpful to stay flexible with things like remote work. If someone can someone still do their job effectively and efficiently from home, does it matter where they are?
Empathy goes a long way. Listen to your staff and make adjustments for individual needs and challenges.
Consider folks’ preferences for Zoom vs. phone calls, or joining Zoom with cameras off.
Work on your personal boundaries. It’s hard when work and home life is blurred as it’s been the last year. Try not to reply to emails during weekends, for example, or log off every day by a certain time, if you can.
As a top leader, don’t be afraid to show you’re human, too. The pandemic has been hard, and showing emotions isn’t a weakness. On top of that, don’t expect perfection from yourself.
Consider blocking off time in your calendar. Perhaps you don’t take any meetings before 11 a.m. to give yourself uninterrupted time to focus. Or maybe you commit to going on a walk before/after work, as a “transition period” now that you don’t have a commute.
Do a calendar audit every once in a while. Check in on recurring meetings and consider whether you still need them. Can it be an email instead? A Slack message? Clearing up time can help you focus and be more productive, and can also be a relief (especially with Zoom fatigue).
Diversity, equity and inclusion work is essential. Here are some tips they offered around DEI:
Continue to advocate for a diverse pool of finalists when hiring, even if it takes longer to fill a position.
Invest in your staff and provide pathways to leadership for traditionally marginalized folks.
Provide proper on-boarding and match new hires up with mentors.
Retention is just as important as recruiting when it comes to DEI. Get them in the door, but make them want to stay. Give them training, support and opportunities.
For DEI work to really stick, it has to be baked into company values. Look at DEI from every angle. Make sure it’s part of every decision. Always check to make sure your practices and journalism match up with those core values. There’s no quick fix.
This new event series offers support and space for marginalized journalists through panel discussions and open dialogue. It’s tied to our larger effort — the Transformative Transparency Project — which will provide the numbers, narratives and knowledge to assist news media stakeholders in undertaking reforms that address the critical lack of newsroom diversity. We hope it helps to bring transparency to issues that take underrepresented people out of the industry.
Due to the nature of the discussions — and to keep these safe spaces — we won’t record sessions in this series. Sign up to receive updates on all events in this series.