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THE EXTRAORDINARY EDITOR 113 MAKING BUSINESS PLANS Getting Strategic CHAPTER 5 MANAGING BUSINESS AND BOSSES MANAGING UPWARDS Editors and their bosses hile editors need to manage their staffs, it would be Wwrong to ignore the need to manage relations with their own superiors. Rule one: Know as much as you can about your boss and keep her/him informed, avoiding surprises. Rule two: Ensure that this person knows your goals and abilities, and the pressures on you. Rule three: Build a relationship of trust and honesty, ask for feedback and come with solutions. (Adapted from Lilian Dunlap, Poynter Institute) Problems Here are some suggestions on how to deal with difficult bosses. Analyse what behaviour bugs you – including 1 the possible reasons for it, and for your reaction to it. Do not react in the heat of 2the moment – respond later. Discuss, don’t accuse – talk 3 about what works in the relationship, and explain what is not working for you, with a focus on specifics. Think about this: is it 4more important to be right, or to get what you want? Sometimes your bigger goal will be to smooth the relationship, rather than win a particular point. As a very last resort, talk to 5 the boss’s superior. (Adapted from Bryan Monroe, San Jose Mercury News) – Guy Berger THE EXTRAORDINARY EDITOR 113 MAKING BUSINESS PLANS Getting strategic o editor can afford to be drawn into table is helpful. They’re what helps keep Nthe details of production to the extent you to a course. So, although no one that you never lift the proverbial snout knows where the media is headed, it from the grindstone. Strategic manage- helps to look back at whence you came, ment is the hallmark of an editor’s job, and in particular to draw on what you and it is based on three considerations: and your company stand for. • Synthesising knowledge of where the These values are likely, of course, to be company is at. aligned with those of journalism in gen- • Setting goals against this background. eral and of our society as set out in the • Developing and managing a plan to Constitution. Take them seriously, they achieve these goals. give guidance to shaping and interpret- ing your vision and mission. Triangulating for traction Check your vision statement: Contextualising these components are • Is it actually a bundle of platitudes or the vision, mission and values of the is there tangible meaning? enterprise. • Is it realistic and achievable? These are the bigger-picture aspects • Is it something that everyone in your and, while they need periodic revisiting company can easily call to mind? to adapt to changes, they should usually be valid for a year or more. From strategy to action There are various takes on the mean- A vision and a mission are not the same ing of vision, mission and values, but as having strategic goals or objectives. consider them as designating ends, But such goals should express these means and morals: more general issues: they should flow Vision refers to the kind of impact/sta- from them and in that way help you to tus/results the organisation seeks to prioritise and focus. accomplish in the long-term. To develop and manage according to Mission is the general means to get to strategic goals, five activities are recom- this end, i.e. the purpose and core mended: business that you’re in. Values provide the moral rudder for the 1 A self-critical situation analysis: mission – how you steer through var- internal and external. ious ethical choices en route to the vision. 2 Setting the actual goals (including All three beacons should inform strategic narrowing down the list, but also management at any given juncture. not forgetting goals concerning risk They are especially helpful in an era management). with the industry in flux. The media “des- tination” is unclear in a world of increas- 3 Developing a strategic plan with ing information supply, and the “means priorities, budget and programme. of transportation” to that destination is highly uncertain. 4 Communicating around the process For instance, should your vision be and the product (i.e the plan). that your media house should become a leading niche player across several plat- 5 Monitoring and evaluating whether forms? Is your mission or core business the goals are being met. about newspapering or broadcasting, or is it more fundamentally about inform- For each strategic goal there should be ing people through news (i.e. about con- specific programme actions, each with tent, not platform)? the following questions answered: It’s hard to be definitive about these • Who is going to do it? issues. That’s why having values on the • When will it be done? 114 THE EXTRAORDINARY EDITOR MANAGING BUSINESS AND BOSSES 5 2. SWOT analysis looks more closely at your organisation: • Strengths (internal) • Weaknesses (internal) • Opportunities (external) • Threats (external) Identifying a strength can often reveal ways to exploit an opportunity. And, if you spot an internal weakness which can exacerbate an external threat, you can then take pre-emptive action. 3. Risk analysis, which usually covers: • Possible trouble in regard to law and regulations • External economic and environmental risks • Problems in governance and management • Financial factors (fraud, cash flow) • Operational issues (eg technology) Keeping it visible: the values state- Prioritising the risks, in terms of both the ment of the Vision Group in Kampala likelihood of them happening and strate- is up on the wall of the boardroom. gic goals they can affect, lets you identify early-warning indicators that will signal when something is going wrong and enable you to develop contingency plans. • How long will it take? – Guy Berger • How much will it cost? • What other resources will be needed? • What priority should it be given? TEMPLATE Check your goals: • Are they driven by vision, mission A business plan and values? • Are there too many for anyone to Here’s a format for writing up a strategic remember? editorial plan (aka a “business plan”). • Do they have a shelf life? • Are they SMART: Specific, • Executive summary (circa one page) Measurable, Achievable, Realistic • Company profile and Time-related? • Vision, Mission, Values and strategy • Market context: PEST and SWOT Where are we? analyses Three tools are often used for a critical • Risk assessment analysis of your situation: • Strategic goals • Activities to deliver the product and 1. PEST analysis assesses the wider achieve the goals (covering platforms, context in terms of: standards, staffing, skill sets) • Political factors • Financial plan • Economic factors • Monitoring and evaluation plan • Social factors • Appendices • Technical factors THE EXTRAORDINARY EDITOR 115 Negotiating budgets Kevin Ritchie There’s only one way around it and Managing Editor that’s to get stuck in. Otherwise, make of Saturday Star, peace with the tedious refrain “there isn’t DFA budget for it”. Former editor Financial management, as much as (1993-2002) and human resources management, is a crit- manager (1996- ical function of any business. However, 2002) it’s even more important for editorial departments because we are, in the parl- ance, “cost centres” made up of people he most important thing to know producing “intellectual capital”. Tabout budgeting is that it is the key We don’t generate revenue. We’re just to editorial independence. a big debit every month on the balance Far too many editorial types tend to sheet, which is what you might hear glibly leave the messy end of the busi- when you go to management meetings. ness in the hands of the accountants It’s all a bit disingenuous since what and then we tear out our hair in we do makes everything possible: we cre- despair when we see what has been ate the content (the product), which is wrought in our names. then sold (to readers or audiences) and TRY THIS The budget: tips for triumphing 1. Ideally, an overall budget should be within the limits. Know where you can built, brick by brick, from the bottom, shuffle money across categories when with the most junior manager submit- need be, what happens to salaries ear- ting budget proposals to an immediate marked for unfilled positions, and senior manager – in accordance with whether you can retain and reallocate the overall business plan. unspent funds. 2. Budget proposals are seldom agreed 5. Be on top of budget management. You without amendment, so anticipate need have-and-know procedures for enough time for consultation and spending, and systems for monitoring negotiation. allowances, reimbursements and cash 3. Only if you understand and operate flows. The knowledge lets you imple- budgets well, can you make a serious ment cost controls or reallocations case for increases. Be able to show when needed. how an investment today can lead to 6. Consider broad transparency, and a savings or extra income-generation in degree of devolution, around the budget. the future. By understanding how line In these ways, you can involve staffers in items related to performance, you are taking responsibility for the budget. It also in a position to explain what cuts can help general performance if people could mean for quality of output. are aware of what things cost. 4. A budget is a plan that defines limits (acknowledgements to Radio and within which people are expected to Television News Directors Foundation and work. Because of the fluid nature of John Prescott Thomas: Broadcaster’s media production, editors should ideal- Media Management Manual). ly be empowered to vary expenditure – Guy Berger 116 THE EXTRAORDINARY EDITOR MANAGING BUSINESS AND BOSSES 5 MY EXPERIENCE “There’s an old rule in broadcasting: the producer says the glass is half-full; the engineer says it’s half-empty; the accountant says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
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