the editor talks with you

Do you consider your work as a job, a career or a calling? That’s a question prospective employers like to ask because it tells a lot about the attitude of people they may hire. Someone who looks at it as a job is usually interested primarily in a paycheck. That means they will do what you tell them to do, when you tell them to do it. Otherwise, they will show little initiative. They park their brains at your front door. Someone who looks at it as a career is far more ambitious. They bring their brains to work. They usually see what you have to offer as a step up the career ladder. Their long-term goal is either to one day replace you or go somewhere else.

Someone who refers to it as a calling may do it because they think it’s the answer you want. And it may be exactly that. To satisfy yourself that they are being honest with you, ask them to tell you why they think of it as a calling. The insincere will usually give themselves away. You may want someone who simply will do what he or she is told to do. That’s OK. If you may want someone career driven, that’s OK, too. It’s your decision. Personally, I want people who are more responsible, feel passionate about what we do and if they feel God calling them elsewhere, I am happy for them. With journalism as a calling, it’s been a privilege to edit more than 2 dozen newspapers and magazines. That sounds like a man who can’t hold a job. It’s more than that. The challenges taught me a lot. This may come as a surprise that anyone working in today’s Godless, leftist media would even acknowledge God exists.

My attraction to journalism as a ministry began more than 50 years ago when editor Lloyd Huntington shared with me his vision for a great newspaper. Lloyd said too many editors were in the business for the wrong reasons. Profit is necessary to stay in business, but an obsession with the bottom line and ruthless cost cutting often lead to lousy newspapers. Lloyd’s vision was of a newspaper that genuinely cared for its readers, respected them, gave them the news clearly and simply and made sense of a complicated world. Our family has faithfully shared that vision. It made our newspapers successful.

Most people think of a ministry as a call to religious service. Their idea of ministry is limited to preachers or missionaries. A ministry can involve many endeavors. What makes them alike is that you feel God called you to do what you are doing and guides you daily to make sound decisions as part of His plan for your life. My role models include Raymond and Hamp Caughman. As president of Lexington State Bank, Raymond and his board had a “Jesus chair” at the table. When faced with tough decisions, his board members would ask themselves, “What would Jesus do?” That question is a litmus test for good decisions and doing the right thing. Try it the next time you face a challenge and are unsure what to do.

Next: Hiring & firing.

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