The Sky Is Not Falling

Today is October 31, 2012: I am in the newspaper business. I love the newspaper business and have every intention of staying in the very financially-healthy newspaper business. 

One fine day at Rotary, I was explaining to one of my fellow Rotarians what, exactly, I do for a living.  He is in banking and I found it interesting that he responded to me; “Boy that must be a tough business these days.” (As if the banking business has not had its share of self-inflicted wounds) My response was to aggressively and factually defend our business model. I told him that the sky was not falling and that we, as an industry, have a very bright outlook for the immediate and distant future.

We as an industry are embracing change and adopting new and glitzier ways of delivering relevant information, but we are not in panic mode.  What I find, especially at papers with the same model as ours, is that we still provide considerable value to the local reader and advertiser. Our pages are filled with information that is highly sought after and our Circulation Verification Council  audits factually support that position.  We have aggressively loyal readers and that bodes well for the advertisers that utilize our print and electronic products. Consumers, especially they with money, read, with interest and commitment, our products.

Yes we are in the change mode (as is every business) and, if we continue to operate wisely, we will continue to change positively, incorporate and adopt new and better/faster ways of getting the relevant information to the highly desirable consumers. But we must not forget how we got where we are. Print works and our sky is not falling.

Essential Employees

For a while in my career, I lived in Falls Church, Virginia. During my stay in that beautiful and historic part of the country, I was literally surrounded by people that worked for the US government. Many were neighbors, and most were really fine people.

Early one morning, during a really hard snowfall, while I was driving to the office, and while listening to the radio, I heard an announcement that all Non-Essential government personnel, need not report to work today due to the challenging and hazardous driving conditions. My astonishment was astonishing. Never before had I been privy to an openly broadcasted normal operating procedure of a "business" that simply told people, that by their own admission, they didn't need them on a good weather day, not to report in on a bad weather day. Until that day, non essential to me meant that your position was not needed. To these government folks it was optional.

In business the only way to remain valuable, is to remain relevantly valuable. Of course there are times when big businesses make decisions that negatively impact both good and bad employees. However, you must focus on what it is you control. What is completely within your control is if you are progressing at getting better every day. You cannot expect to dramatically change your skill-set or knowledge base in one or two days. But you can, and you should, expect to gain more relevant information and improve your skill-set on an incremental basis. Learn a little more and get a little better every day.

You must reach a status as that of "one of the essential team members" because no business can, for any length of time, carry non-essential people on the payroll. Essential means that you are a very valuable part of the team and that you preform your duties at an every increasing level of quality that ensures that the entire organization moves forward. Non essential means, in the private sector, that you cannot stay and it is just a matter of time.

Insure or Ensure

Insure: To arrange for compensation in case of loss. 
Ensure: To make certain that something shall occur. 

They are only words, right? The misuse of insure for ensure is a very common mistake. On the surface they seem to mean practically the same thing, but they are not and there is a very specific reason for that. Words mean something and in this case, they mean something very specific. Far too often we will say things that may make sense to us but to the people we are talking to they may not make any sense at all. They are only words, right? Communicating clearly and concisely takes a calculated effort. The calculation behind the effort may come in the form of years of experience or by delving into the subject so we can employ the right words to clearly deliver our message. You either know what you are taking about because you have have been there or because you have looked into it. 

A great vocabulary is very effective in helping craft your message so that it is clearly received. I remember what my director at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas said one day during reversals for Edward Albee's; Everything in the Garden, when I asked the meaning of cognizant, he said; "Look it up." That direction had a profound and lasting impact on me. Not only did I need to take the initiative to find out what the meaning of a word is, I had to take the initiative and own it. From that moment on when I did not know the meaning (and the occurrences were many) of a word, I would "look it up!" When reading, I kept a dictionary close. Word and their specific use to deliver a clear and concise message took on a new level of importance. What I said began to matter to me more because the words used did make a difference in the quality of the message.

There are some that take this to extremes and talk at such a high level that no one, including themselves really get the message. It is not that impressive if no one understands what you are saying, no matter how many BIG words you use.

Endeavor to expand your vocabulary so words and their specific meanings will help to ensure that you are being clearly understood.

Cognizant: Having knowledge or being aware of.