Success Leaves Clues

You've seen her on ESPN First Take, duking it out with the insufferable Skip Bayless. You've read her columns on ESPN.com, where she has distinguished herself as a no-nonsense reporter. Now you see Jemele Hill posing with me, your insufferable blog editor (I gave her no choice as I staked out the lobby like a crazed fan).

I attended a seminar this past weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida where Jemele spoke. She has quite a story--coming up from the streets of Detroit, moving up the newspaper ranks before landing at ESPN a few years ago. After listening to her speak and spending some time with her, one word keep creeping into my consciousness--genuine. As a journalist, I always admired her authenticity. Once you meet her and listen to her speak, that quality is no act--she's a real and down to earth in person as she comes across in her writing and on television. That's not an easy transistion, but it is a common thread amongst successful people.

The ability to not only be in touch with who you are--am I compassionate? Am I humble? Am I a fair?--but the talent to channel that sense of self outwardly is what attracts people to or away from you. In journalism it is essential to survival--being hated is preferred over indifference. So ask yourself this question- how well am I in touch with my own values? And how can I best share those values through my work?

If you are looking for a good example, just check out Jemele Hill's work on ESPN.

Brain Fuel

I'm writing from sunny, humid St. Petersburg, Florida where I am attending the Poynter Institute Sports Journalism Summit. Lots of heavy hitters down here--Jack McCallum, Pat Forde, Jamele Hill, Sally Jenkins, just to name a few. I'm excited about rubbing elbows with these stars of sports journalism. But I'm stoked (I apologize for the mid-90's slang reference, I'm writing in a hurry here) for another reason.

It's a concept known as "slight edge". It's why I flew in from Chicago and paid my own way to attend the seminar. The idea is that by spending 3 days absorbing the intellectual capital of those mentioned and others, I will pick up one or two innovative concepts I have never heard before. And those concepts--combined with implementation--will add a significant amount of revenue to my business. Successful people understand this. Unsuccessful people look at the "cost" and say they can't afford it.

I would encourage all of you to ask yourselves--what am I doing to fuel my brain? What seminars, conferences, speeches are you attending that will give you a "slight edge" over your competition?

You don't have to fly all the way to Florida to practice this.

Brain fuel is all around you.

Journapreneurship

A short definition of entrepreneurship is "the practice of starting new organizations or revitalizing mature organizations". Combining this dynamic with the practice of journalism and you have the potential for innovation.

At a recent seminar sponsored by the non-profit think tank Poynter Institute, journalists from all over engaged in dialogue blending this concept.

Mark Briggs, who attended the seminar, is an author and co-founder of Serra Media. Mark has a terrific blog with great content on the industry today and its future.

The big picture question is, in order for journalism to be viable moving forward, should it be positioned as a "new organization" in need of start up equity, or a "mature organiztion" that needs to be revitalized?