How do you get your staff to follow when you're not really their boss? One way is to develop expertise, says Mind Tools'
"Expert Power: Lead from the Front." "If your team sees you as an expert, you will find it much easier to guide them in such a way as to create high motivation."
Developing
"expert power" will earn you respect and trust. Your reporters will
"believe that you have wisdom to direct their efforts to a goal that is
genuinely worthwhile," according to Mind Tools, a London-based career
training website.
Nobody
expects you to be a true expert in high school, but if you gain enough
knowledge to be respected, you will earn a following in your newsroom. A few helpful hints from Mind Tools:
- Act confidently and decisively in a crisis. Don't let an approaching deadline or staffer problem unnerve you.
- Keep informed. Be able to demonstrate awareness of what’s going on both in and outside of the classroom.
- Don't threaten the self-esteem of subordinates. Keep it subtle. Don’t lord your knowledge over anybody or they'll resent you.
So
the next time you're editing a story with another writer, explain a
journalism tool that you've recently discovered and apply it to their
work. Be confident but not boastful, helpful without embarrassing or
belittling them. Sharpen your own journalism skills so you can lead
others.
