The good and the bad: Lessons learned in first week

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April 2, 2010

By Melanie Patterson The North Jefferson News The North Jefferson News Fri Apr 02, 2010, 07:57 AM CDT

COMMENTARY — My hat is off to Adam Smith.

After sitting in his chair for a week, it all makes sense. No, that is way too optimistic: It is only beginning to make sense.

Last week I changed roles at the NJN from reporter to editor after Adam, the former editor, abandoned us for a new job in Georgia.

He made it look so easy.

He did his absolute best to teach me everything he could in two weeks’ time, but there are some things you simply must learn on your own.

Here are a few things I’ve learned in one short (but yet very, very long) week about being in charge:

• When you’re on salary, a 40-hour week is a distant fond memory

• You can no longer shove things off on the boss by saying, “Let me check with my editor and get back to you.”

• That strange smell coming from the refrigerator in the break room is now YOUR problem

• That strange smell coming from the bathroom is also your problem

• Computer, software, operations, maintenance and all other issues are, you guessed it ... your problem

But on a more upbeat note, I have learned some incredible things about the staff here at the NJN.

In the first awkward week of transition and being short-staffed, everyone at the newspaper stepped up and did a tremendous job of helping me personally and, by extension, you the reader and advertiser.

Not once did anyone say, “that’s not my job.” Most of the time I did not even ask for extra help; they volunteered before I had a chance.

Without them, it is possible you would not have had a newspaper in your mailbox or in the newspaper racks. And if that had been the case, the NJN would have instantly lost its new editor.

So I would like to officially and publicly thank the NJN staff. And I also welcome Ben Montgomery, your new reporter. He has jumped right in and is giving 100 percent.

Give us a call anytime and let us know what we can do for you.

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The good and the bad: Lessons learned in first week

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