15 tips for business and leadership offered up by Pope Francis

Just before Christmas, I wrote about how I don't offer up the traditional memo any longer. I have great respect for the memo that Warren Buffett offered up to managers within Berkshire Hathaway, which proved that there is still a place in business for a well written memo from the top.

Hours after writing that post, I heard about another great memo for business leaders that was offered up over the past few days. It came from a much different source that business icon Buffett, but is quite possibly more relevant. It was the annual Christmas address from Pope Francis to the leaders of the Roman Catholic church, and what he called 15 ailments that are plaguing the Curia.

As I listened to a debate rage on Fox News about the thoughts of the Pope, I was struck that his concerns with the leadership at the Vatican were concerns most people would have about their own workplace. Once I got home, I did an online search and found an article written by Inc. Magazine's Graham Winfrey (twitter @GrahamWinfrey) that took a similar look at the business applications to the concerns expressed by the Pope.

Pope Francis touch on the following areas of concerns, which are most likely applicable to your operations on some level:

False indispensability
Workaholism
Corporate disillusionment
Perfectionism
Poor communication
Forgotten mission statement
Excessive competition
Institutionalization
Office gossip
Brownnosing
Isolationalism
Disgruntled-employee syndrome
Materialism
Office cliques
Power-hungry employees

Often I have said that churches need to think and act a little more like a business. That statement will not always sit well with some, and I don't suggest that a church must act like a business all the time. Acts of faith and spiritual callings do not fit into a business concept every time. But the list provided by Pope Francis is very translatable to the business world, and leaders (from the church and businesses) would do well to give consideration to the pitfalls laid out in his message.

Buffett's advise in year end memo: guard the reputation of your business and plan for the future

Memos have lost their place in the business place for the most part. I'll send a broadcast email, which is just another name for a memo I guess. I think when social media started compiling the worst / meanest memos of the year is when I officially stopped using the Microsoft Office template for memos and opted for gentler emails.

But the era of the company memo is alive and well in some businesses, including the empire of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. Late last week, Warren sent out a memo to his 'All Star' managers throughout the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio including their media properties. 

Buffett hit the nail on the head in my opinion. 

Reputation is a top priority for any business, especially for journalist. Given the scandals that have impacted some publications, including recently with Rolling Stone magazine, managers and especially publishers must guard the reputation of  their outlet. Buffett's words struck such a chord with me that I read parts of his memo to some of my staff this week. I think parts of his semi-annual address should be shared with newspaper operations throughout the country.

The second big point in the Buffett memo was the need to plan for successors in your operation. This is another area for consideration by media outlets, especially newspapers. What is the average age of your newsroom and advertising department? In many newspapers across the country, the answer likely older than ever. The industry, largely because of its own bad press is struggling to attract young talent. At age 47, I still think I'm a younger leader than many in this business. 

What we are doing to attract and retain the best of the best? In my new position, I've been told repeatedly that recruitment is a top job priority for me. Just like sales for advertising, it is important to have a prospect funnel for new employees. It is not that you want to turn over your entire staff, but rather that you're prepared with when turnover happens. 

The Berkshire Hathaway memo talks about finding the next leader for the various business units receiving the note from Buffett. But that need to have plans in place for the next man (or woman) up should be the goal for your entire org chart.

The Wall Street Journal's Erik Holm and Anupreeta Das did a good job on the story. There is also a full reprint of the Buffett memo available at http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/12/19/buffett-reminds-his-top-managers-reputation-is-everything/?mod=e2fb

It is time for newspaper publishers to again hold their head high and regain a little of the old swagger

When I started selling advertising, for a radio station against newspapers, I found it easy to sell against newspaper reps. I worked harder and was more creative which gained the respect of accounts. There was no sense of entitlement in my eyes for the customer to get their business.

Newspaper reps were more into servicing their accounts, managing what they had which at the time was plentiful. Creativity happened occasionally but don't get use to an idea too often. Newspaper reps could be arrogant and felt all they needed to do was show up at the account to get the business. These bad habits, allowed for generations by newspaper publishers, is in part to blame for the situation newspapers find themselves.

Early in my sales career, at the very first daily newspaper I worked the publisher was not a people person. A chain smoking, hard headed liberal, the publisher was always in conflict with a more conservative community in which he did business. One afternoon, he made his way to my second biggest account; a furniture store run by a local Republican party leader. They have their words with each other with me watching. Finally the publishers turns to my customer and says, "Tom, if you don't like it get $3 million and start your own G** damn newspaper." And then storms out. The ability to control a small town by being the only media around created arrogant bullies, and made the newspaper business a quick and easy target for upstarts.

Clearly the world has changed since that time. Marketing and advertising has been turned upside down through a number of disruptive forces. Few newspapers and newspaper sales reps can continue with the old mentality and be effective in today's environment. The future of any media outlet rests in its ability to innovate and change as fast as it can. For media sales reps, being adaptive means learning new technology and finding ways for it to solve customer problems. The days of merely showing up and getting the money has past, but there is still money to be earned if you show up with good ideas and solutions.

I do long for some parts of the old days however. This industry must be more outward facing, and trying to help the community's we serve and the advertiser's we partner with if we are going to find success. But I do believe a little bit of swagger, if done in moderation and kept in check by reality would help!

Newspapers have beat themselves up to the point of being apologetic. The industry gets hung up on all that is wrong, and forgets what is right. In most cities and towns across the country, newspapers still hold a lock on the largest audience, the most influential audience with disposable income. The newspaper is still vital to the daily lives of millions, helps keep government in check, chronicles the success and failures in our communities and champion causes to make a difference. Newspaper websites are a main stop for people when they go online, and coupled with print provides as broad a coverage as anyone in most markets. http://www.naa.org/Trends-and-Numbers.aspx

My head is not in the sand. There is still plenty wrong with the current newspaper business model, and swift action is necessary. But in the midst of all the negative that surrounds the future, the legacy product still has a lot to offer.