Engage in Discussions that Drive You Forward...

“Big ideas come from forward thinking people who challenge the norm, think outside the box, and invent the world they see inside rather than submitting to the limitations of current dilemmas” –T.D. Jakes

“Go Forward” is how we speak about our diversity efforts here at Gannett.  At Gannett, our success is leveraged when it involves all of us. Diversity is a part of our company’s fabric (we are continuously trying to weave a better fabric), and our workplaces thrive on the greater knowledge, precision and insight drawn from everyone’s backgrounds, experiences, thoughts, beliefs, skills and abilities. We also respect our similarities and differences and embrace, through hiring and engagement practices, a culture that seeks inclusion at all levels of the organization.  We want to reflect our nation’s communities.  We want a lens from all views on any given topic.  We want to engage in discussions that drive us forward – as a country, as a company, as individuals.  It is about connecting. 

Why “Go Forward”?  As Sheryl Sanberg says, “Knowing that things could be worse should not stop us from trying to make them better.”  I have never been a big fan at looking back.  Success is made from believing you can make change.  Looking back at failure or looking back at success will only limit you in what you feel is possible moving forward.  We are making Gannett a place where everyone feels comfortable and everyone feels they can make a difference.  Am I naive to think this exists with every employee in every location today?  Certainly not.  Can we continuously work to improve going forward?  Certainly, we can! 

I received feedback from one of my last blogs about some issues with the culture in one of our locations.  Was it good feedback?  No.  Did it allow me to see the truth?  Yes.  Did we take action to make it better going forward?  Certainly, we did.  I am one leader in this organization with a relatively small team, but we all feel like we can make a difference going forward.  The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have. 

How can we better connect people to move forward with greater understanding?  There is not one silver bullet answer, but we are trying new things here at Gannett – taking on the big and bold.

How are we connecting?  Well… one way is through building awareness around the importance of difference.  I am launching a video series where I have brief (5 minutes or less) video conversations with employees about their backgrounds, their life experiences and HOW those life experiences flavor the way the work on an everyday basis (I am still looking for some ideas on what to call this video series so please send me your thoughts).  I want to focus on the sum of our different characteristics that shape our identities, experiences and perspectives … and ultimately reflect how we work.   How do we bring together and bind with our diverse tools and resources, in a way that is beneficial to all employees?  We have many efforts like this at Gannett which will put diversity into action by creating an environment of involvement, respect, and connection—where the richness of ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives are connected to create business value. 

We also have launched Employee Resource Groups.  I sponsor the LGBTQIA group at Gannett.  Do I know all the answers?  No.  Do I understand all the issues?  No.  Am I supportive and learning something new every day?  Yes.  Are we moving forward?  Yes.  Are some people not happy with changes we are making going forward?  Yes.  If I focused on pleasing everyone, we would not be making enough progress moving our company culture forward.

Our commitment, my commitment, is approached with an open mind as we strive for a richer understanding. An understanding of each other and the distinct communities and customers we serve through high-quality content, products, expertise and services.  When everyone matters and is included; we are a smarter, stronger and more successful media network. Together. We. Win.

Dave Harmon

People Division

“Kindness is Currency”

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Follow Dave and other USA TODAY NETWORK highlights at: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram,  Facebook, The Muse and Gannett Careers

What about Game of Thrones?

Game of Thrones, the Newsletter…did you know that USA TODAY NETWORK has one?  We do.  We are doing many exciting things for you (the consumer) and for you (our employees).  Let me share some of those things with and you and also why I have so much fun working here.   We are connected to what is happening in this country every day, every hour, every minute.  From Federer doing it again in tennis, to a six-month analysis of how our President is doing, to our previously mentioned Game of Thrones newsletter, to the latest with North Korea, to Charlie Gard, to a cool virtual reality experience on an aircraft carrier.  It is a rush to walk through the newsroom and just listen to what is happening, what we are working on and gain insight into the next big investigative piece (see Olympic gymnasts, lead in the water, etc.).

It is exciting to me to be part of an organization that empowers communities to connect, act and thrive.  To make a difference.  To be THE DAILY DESTINATION for our readers seeking meaningful connections with their communities.  Each one of us – we want local news from where we live and also national news about what is happening across the U.S.  Our unique local-meets-national presence has established an unprecedented network that spans our nation’s communities.  We are unique – no other news organization can offer what we can.  It allows us to hire employees in Palm Springs; in Phoenix; in Lafayette, Louisiana; in Naples, Florida; in Milwaukee; and in Rochester NY – and allow each and every employee to make a local impact and also a national impact with the work they do.  A “small town” reporter can have a national story overnight!  We deliver the stories that are within the story.  Our users spend almost 2 billion minutes a month with us!   We have the advantage of being one network with many voices.  From your local township to the national stage, we keep you informed with what interests you most. When your hometown celebrates, we all share in that joy. When our nation is challenged, we band together as a community. Our voices are strongest together.  Together.  We.  Win.

Our employees’ passion for finding the common ground has made us the definitive source for those looking to transcend bias in the media today.  With “fake news”, the “far left” and the “far right”- there is a need from our public for honest and transparent reporting.  We have 110 media organizations across the nation.  Our products reach over 40% of the U.S. online population, and we have over 1.1 billion page views a month.  Did you know we have that digital reach?  Wow.  Also, our cool new reimagined products, powered by emerging technologies, have helped millions of people take action on the things they care about.  We are also active in our communities – giving back.   Our deeply loyal consumers have become our greatest advocates, eager to share and engage.  We are always introducing new ideas for our consumers by delivering novel content experiences for new audiences—an extended spectrum of new original content experiences through innovative apps, exciting products, topical blogs, live streamed events, popular newsletters (see Game of Thrones), cool tech (AR, Voice, AI) and other original content.

None of this could happen without our employees.  Our employees are part of our bigger network—the USA TODAY NETWORK—that brings critical benefits to all American consumers and businesses.  The size of our NETWORK provides the ability for our employees to move to other areas of the organization, or to learn from colleagues in multiple disciplines.  In order to make our vision a reality, we must embrace cross functional teams that can help iterate and connect our consumer and partner strategies.  Our employees are our most important community—and we are transparent and communicative about the impact of their work – their great work!  We want every employee to feel part of our community—activated and empowered to help push our company forward. Our employees are a great barometer for our content—we tap into employees more frequently to see what they find engaging.  A 20,000 person focus group!  Our employees are also part of the communities we support amongst our consumers and advertisers—we want to discover how they are creating positive impacts in those communities as well.

We are at the heart of American life, driving conversation and action every day, across local and national news, sports and entertainment – come and experience work with a passion.
 Together.  We.  Win.

Dave Harmon

People Division

“Kindness is Currency”

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Follow Dave and other USA TODAY NETWORK highlights at: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram,  Facebook, The Muse and Gannett Careers

School of ROCK

Development. Development is defined* as the process of growth or new information or an event.

Talent.  Talent is defined* as a special natural ability to do something well, or people who have this ability.

Transformation.  Transformation is defined*, in an organizational context, as a process of profound and radical change that orients an organization in a new direction and takes it to an entirely different level of effectiveness 

At Gannett we are continuously trying to evolve and find new ways to develop our talent during our transformation.  One way we do this is through a new program we call School of ROCK.  This April we launched the 2017 Gannett Leadership Development Program – School of ROCK – a six-month experience designed to focus on enhancing capabilities that can accelerate our digital transformation.   I know Jack Black would be envious if he could attend.  As Jack said in the movie, “Yes! But, you can't just say it, man. You've gotta feel it in your blood and guts! If you wanna rock, you gotta break the rules.”  How are we breaking the rules?  Well… we are looking for new and innovative ways to develop our talent.

Our employees who were selected to participate: are exposed and interact with our senior leaders, work on strategic projects in teams directly related to our new strategy, engage in their own specific personal development and feedback, and have fun along the way. 

School of ROCK is one of our One Gannett leadership development experiences focused on accelerating transformational capabilities of our high potential leaders.  It is one way we invest in our employees as we become THE DAILY DESTINATION for our consumers and marketers seeking meaningful connections with their communities.  In 2015, the new Gannett | USA TODAY NETWORK was founded and we set far-reaching strategic pillars to better define the ambitions for the next era of our business. We’ve built remarkable momentum in the two years since we spun out and became our own company, but times have changed and keep changing. The industry has changed - rapidly.  We need to help our employees keep current with these changes. We need programs that not only focus on leadership development, but also help focus on business needs development.  We are in an industry of constant change: our readers are seeking a wider variety of content (no longer just news, sports and business), new content delivery platforms are evolving (echo dot?), mobile is where people get their news (what did we do before smart phones?), trust in media is eroding (fake news or bad news – people need to pay attention to sources), social media has become a news source (sadly, this is true), and thankfully most consumers still seek out quality brands for their news and information.

Our unique local-meets-national presence has established an unprecedented network that spans our nation’s communities.  Our passion for finding the common ground has made us the definitive source for those looking to transcend bias.  In order to keep pace, we need to ensure our leaders are well equipped to push us forward and keep pace with the change.  Our employees realize they are part of a bigger network—USA TODAY NETWORK—that brings critical benefits to all American consumers and businesses.  The size of our NETWORK also provides our employees the ability to move to other areas of the organization, or to learn from colleagues in multiple disciplines in addition to what we offer formally for development.

Our employees are our most important community—and we will be transparent and communicative about the impact of their work.  We want every employee to feel part of our community—activated and empowered to help push our strategy forward.  Our employees are a great barometer for our content—we will tap into that community more frequently to see what they find engaging.   Our employees are also part of the communities we support amongst our consumers and advertisers—we will seek to discover how they are creating positive impacts in those communities as well.  Our employees are our most important asset.  We need to communicate with and develop our employees every step of the way.  We are transforming.

So, what is School of ROCK really about?  A few big things we try to accomplish for our leaders: how to inspire a transformational culture through their own leadership, how to personally impact the transformation through an expanded view of the business strategy and our future, and how to fast-track real change through their new network and relationships.  As an example, during a recent session I attended where our employees experienced the workshop “Leading into the Unknown”, - they focused on the leadership practices critical in this era of ambiguity and constant change – and in building a transformational culture. 

Some of the areas we focused on for their development were:

Optimism: Leaders who see and help others believe in possibilities 

Creativity: Leaders who see things from a new perspective and prototype a way 

Authentic Communications: Leaders who engage their teams honestly

Humanity: Leaders who tap into the greatness of their people

All this hopefully, will help lead our employees to take “Brave Action” – we want leaders who take imperfect information and drive our company forward.  As Jack Black says in School of Rock, “It will test your head, and your mind, and you're brain, too.”   Together.  We.  Win.

Dave Harmon

People Division

“Kindness is Currency”

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Follow Dave and other USA TODAY NETWORK highlights at: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram,  Facebook, The Muse and Gannett Careers

*definitions from Websters Dictionary

Are we social? Should we be?

Working in the USA TODAY NETWORK has educated me in many ways over the past two years: the value of great journalism; the importance of clear and concise communication; the power of the written word; the power of social media; the impact of a great story; the impact of a great headline; the impact of opinion vs fact; the value in communicating openly; and the lessons continue.  Communication has always been the bedrock of great leadership.  Working at the USA TODAY NETWORK just reinforces the value of great communication – for our personal lives, for our work lives, and for our daily lives.

The importance of communication continues to be at the top of most lists when we talk about effective leadership.  The platforms are changing in HOW we communicate, but the intent remains fairly focused.  Open, honest, candid, timely, and relevant all still matter.  Connecting with your team.

Often in the world we live in today, social media can be viewed through a negative lens.  The trolls, the nay-Sayers, the rants, the debates, the viral explosion of the smallest mistake.  They exist, but they are a small percentage compared to the all the benefits social media can offer.  It allows us to keep up with growing families, arrange reunions, share life’s anecdotes, communicate births and marriages (and divorces and deaths).  Connecting with your friends.  Also, with the four plus generations in the workforce today – they all require different kinds of communication on different platforms.  We need to be able to take the same message and distribute it in different formats on different platforms.

I still remain connected to my core high school buddies and my core college buddies because of social media.  We have grown together, our families have grown together, and we have lived life together – albeit from across the country and virtually.  Chicago, Montreal, NYC, Palm Beach, Virginia Beach, Cincinnati and Saratoga Springs all seem a bit closer when viewed through the lens of social media.  My current work team likes in-person meetings, video chats, snap chats, tweets, and good old-fashioned email.  As a leader, we need to understand what works most effectively with whom an adjust our ways.

We are all programmed to be social to some extent.  Some much more than others.  We have old school “just call me” folks all the way up to folks on social media like Katy Perry, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tayor Swift with more than 200 million followers each.  Being a great communicator is relevant in our personal lives as well as at work - and it does not just mean social media.  It means understanding how all of the platforms we use help us move forward.  Our digital footprint, our presence, our information power, our oratory skills, our storytelling skills, our ability to engage and influence.  Connecting.

Alas, not all of social media is purely personal.  At the USA TODAY NETWORK, it is integral to our business   There are many business reasons for us to utilize social platforms and embrace social media:

• Sharing our great journalism
• Eliciting feedback and opinions
• Speaking about our great culture
• Networking with others
• Encouraging community involvement
• Sharing anecdotal stories about the fun we have at work or with our coworkers
• Educating new readers about how we help communities to connect, act and thrive 
• Heck, we even can form new business relationships online

Also, for all of our employees at the USA TODAY NETWORK there are other avenues we encourage open communication:

• We take pride in hearing from our employees through various channels like engagement surveys, Yammer, focus groups, online surveys, roundtables, etc.
• We utilize recently reinvigorated Employee Resource Groups to help educate and build awareness
• We expect open debate to help us “see the whole picture, not just the parts” or “take on the big and bold” or “helping others rise to their best selves” (a few of our USA TODAY NETWORK behaviors)
• We have direct feedback mechanisms with our CEO, Bob Dickey – Conversations with Bob group meetings, AskBob emails, open questions at Town Halls, etc.

I feel that communication – being a great communicator - is becoming more and more important in the world we live in today.  And being a great communicator involves both listening and sharing.  Cultural fit and communication skills are two qualities which play a large role in somebody being selected to work at Gannett.  We are continually expanding and evolving what media means.  We are proactively seeking out new possibilities for our audiences and customers.  We want our media to drive action – not passive consumption.  We help people and businesses make meaningful change.  We connect.

  

Media is the ultimate equalizer. It gives a voice and a platform to anyone willing to engage. It allows us to take action with purpose. To make progress through passion.  To make the personal more scale-able, to make the national more personal.

Working in the USA TODAY NETWORK had enhanced my view of the importance of strong comunication.  The importance of transparency.  The need for passion.  The importance of fairness. The focus on facts.  The power of media.  The impact of human interest. The impact of opinion vs fact.   The value in communicating accurately.  I am amazed daily working in a great media organization.   The one constant over my career is that it takes a village.  Together.  We.  Win. 

Dave Harmon

People Division

“Kindness is Currency”

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Follow Dave and other USA TODAY NETWORK highlights at: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram,  Facebook, The Muse and Gannett Careers