I sometimes question the value of setting goals in part because I dont like to purposefully dwell on shortcomings.
Yet, with a new year that miraculously helps one believe the canvas is again blank, Im discovering the renewed hope and energy that can come from setting the bar higher.
Here at the Register, were going through such a process.
As with any business, we know theres no such thing as a finely tuned machine and that were in constant need of readjustments in attitude, work habits and customer service.
One of our challenges is that while on the outside it may appear we produce only one product a newspaper on the inside are five departments that must work on the same page to meet each days deadline.
Thats the easy part.
The hard part is working together and feeling like were a team, a responsibility that lands squarely in my lap.
As a manager, my worst fear is for an employee to regard his or her work as just a job, a death knell that signals to me one of three things:
A) That I have failed to understand what could motivate them to become more invested in their work, or
B) I have failed to convey to them the important role they play in the Registers success, or
C) If they cant see the value of a community newspaper, they probably should move on. In an operation this small I need everyone to be a cheerleader.
One way to help employees get on board is to ask them to identify goals specifically related to their individual jobs and to see how you can make that happen.
At the Register, this has led us to several recent changes with more on the horizon, including a
· Much-improved website with embedded video clips,
· A lively Instagram presence,
· A weekly online newsletter,
· Guest columnists,
· Online coupons,
· An interactive Ask the Register format that allows readers to post questions to which we will seek the answers, and
· An ever-expanding Print Shop.
Already, these goals have yielded measurable results with an uptick in subscribers and sales in advertising and double the sales in our Print Shop over the last three years.
What helps us guide these decisions is our overarching goal to be the place where people turn to when they want news of Allen County.
