Managing teams

From definitive how-tos on some of the tasks and tools of management, to ideas on focusing and motivating your teams to achieve more, to building a network of trusted colleagues you can turn to with thoughts, questions, ideas and encouragement, this is the place to sharpen your skills as a leader of people and teams.

Management fundamentals: Prioritizing and delegating

Illinois state editor Romando Dixson shares how he sets priorities, delegates tasks and projects and delivers results.

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    • Understanding the financial side of our business

    Learn how to make the budget work for you, rather than the other way around.

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    • Project-manage like a pro

    Here’s how to deliver on a big project with many moving people and parts. Ten tips in 60 minutes that will help you simplify and win.

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    • Your power as an informal leader

    You don’t need to have rank and seniority to exert leadership. What you prioritize, what you value, how you listen, how you communicate, whose voices and views you feature, who you lift up, small gestures of mentorship, open-mindedness to advice and counsel — these all are informal acts of leadership.

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    • Strategic thinking and planning

    We look at how one of our biggest news organizations in one of our biggest markets does BIG things. From guiding probing investigative projects to introducing a new pay model to staging a marathon, The Free Press team will share how it sizes up and capitalizes on big opportunities. Hosted by executive editor Peter Bhatia and senior news director/digital Anjanette Delgado.

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    • Management is a marathon

    Practical advice for new managers (and potential new managers) on overcoming obstacles, working effectively in a hybrid newsroom, pacing yourself and, always, moving forward, even when you hit that wall at Mile 20.

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    • Listening effectively: Lessons from an extreme extrovert

    Hear from Louisville editor Mary Irby-Jones on how she learned to stop talking so she could hear other people.

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    • Five keys to better virtual leadership

    We explore how journalists around the company are learning to listen more, communicate better, celebrate good work, constructively identify areas for improvement and reconnect in ways that return some of the joy and fulfillment we’ve been missing.

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    • How editors can support writers with mental health conditions

    It’s important for editors to allow for long-term adjustments that might wax and wane as a writer’s health fluctuates.

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    • How things work in the Network

    We cover how our matrixed organization works — locally, regionally and nationally. You’ll learn how to tap into all the right people to get the job done right.

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    • Situations managers deal with

    We cover difficult conversations, disciplinary matters and what to do when the unexpected happens.

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    • Mechanics of good management

    We cover performance management, managing virtually and the career life cycle, including the art of recruiting, retention and hiring — with a focus on DEI.

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    • What good bosses do

    Connecting mission, purpose and values with everyday work and Motivation: Celebrating your people; elements of good communication, feedback.

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    • Q&A for journalists on personal safety and legal rights at protests

    Advice from front-line journalists, lawyers, and behind-the-scenes personal safety experts on how to cover unrest while maintaining your Constitutional rights and your personal safety.

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    • Earning trust in your election coverage

    Learn how to defend your coverage, explain it, and demonstrate to your audience why you’re a credible source.

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