How to be a better manager ft. Wendi C. Thomas and Samantha Ragland

A formal education may prepare us well for a lot of things, but being a manager often isn’t one of them. In this News Guest episode, you’ll hear from two people who have been on both sides of newsroom management about how independent news publishers can be better managers.

• Samantha Ragland is vice president of journalism programs at the American Press Institute and has coached newsroom leaders across the country.
• Wendi C. Thomas is the founder and publisher of MLK50, a LION member newsroom in Memphis that focuses on the intersection of poverty, power and policy.

Related reading:

• How three women journalist leaders channelled legacy newsroom experiences into creating healthier nonprofit organizations by Vignesh Ramachandran
• To become managers, journalists must let go of independent mindset by Annie Russell 
• When student loans and the housing crisis force journalists out of the business by Wendi C. Thomas

Related resources:

• The Independent News Sustainability Summit in Austin this October will feature sessions on managing a team, recruiting and retaining employees, and building a support network as a leader.
• The News Entrepreneur Academy includes video courses courses on HR Best Practices with experienced HR consultant Deb Lewis, Management Best Practices with executive coach and marketing consultant Natalie Archibald, and Addressing and Avoiding Burnout with executive coach and former New York Times reporter Sushil Cheema.
• The LION-GNI Sustainability Audits and Funding program offers personalized business advice and up to $6,000 of funding to help independent publishers build more sustainable businesses. The deadline to apply for the next round of audits is Oct. 10.
• Sign up for the LION newsletter for more insights, tips and resources to help independent news publishers plan for revenue growth.