Let's start with the publisher/editor dynamic. Back when Sovereign Media owned Realms of Fantasy, I had a limited amount of interactions with the publishers. This was for a number of reasons. To name just a few:
1) I had less responsibilities with the magazine
2) The way the publishers conducted their business
3) My work was undervalued/underappreciated. Yeah, I can say this now. And let me add that this doesn't and never did extend to Shawna, nor does it extend to Laura Cleveland, the former managing editor. Both of them are great.
Now with Warren I've had a good number of interactions. This also is for a number of reasons. To name a few:
1) I have additional responsibilities in the form of art director & nonfiction editor.
2) Warren is in the midst of resurrecting a magazine. While there are many things he can handle on his own as publisher, there are other things he needs to discuss with people continuing to work on the magazine, chief among them Shawna, myself, and Jeff Kight (advertising director).
3) I believe Warren has deeper roots when it comes to the genre. Therefore, he's bringing more enthusiasm to the magazine and to his interactions with those associated with it.
Of course, I never knew Warren until recently. I knew of him, but prior to early March I'd never had any conversations with him, I'd never submitted to him as a writer, and I'd never even subscribed to his magazines (sorry, Warren). So I'm definitely still getting to know him. And when I started working for him, while he seemed nice enough, I didn't know what to expect from "the new boss."
Believe it or not, I have to say that so far working for Warren is a lot like working for Shawna. The biggest differences are that Warren is also Shawna's boss, and that Warren writes the checks. As to the similiarites ...well, like Shawna, Warren is proving to be pretty easygoing. Shawna has displayed a tremendous amount of faith in my abilities. So has Warren. With Shawna, if I have a suggestion and/or request regarding the magazine or my position, I've always felt that I am free to express it. So far it's been the same way with Warren. I also know that when I make suggestions to Shawna she'll take them seriously. Warren has already proven that it's the same with him. Shawna trusts me to do my job. So far it's been the same with Warren.
Now it might seem a little absurd to make these comparisons when I've been working with Shawna almost 4 years and I've only been working with Warren 2+ weeks. But look at this way: I've been handed two important promotions that I'm taking on in addition to my previous responsibilities, all while we're in the midst of resurrecting a magazine with a history spanning 15 years. So this isn't your typical first two weeks on the job!
I also wanted to discuss my dynamic with Shawna. When it comes to the editor/assistant editor dynamic, it's pretty much as it's always been. Sure, there's been some stuff to figure out as we resurrect the magazine, but otherwise having a new publisher hasn't really changed anything. I won't bother going into the specifics regarding our releationship here. If you read this blog, it's pretty obvious how things work: Shawna is in charge and makes the final decisions, but she trusts me, listens to me, and gives me a lot of freedom to operate as I see fit.
But at the same time, I am noticing a new dynamic developing between us. I've asked Shawna for some early advice concerning my role as nonfiction editor and she's graciously provided some, but there haven't really been any real interactions between our respective departments here. With my role as art director it's proving to be another story. There is a lot of communication that takes place between the publisher, editor, and the art director, especially these days. And it struck me the other day that when I'm talking to Shawna in my role of art director, I'm doing so as a peer. Now this hasn't caused any problems between us, and I'll be surprised if it does. After almost 4 years of working together, there is a lot of mutual respect. I'm also aware of certain issues Shawna might have had with certain aspects of RoF's artwork in the past, and I'm sensitive to that without her making any demands as to how I should handle my new role. Of course, it also helps that I've agreed with her all along. :)
So while little has changed between us, I find it interesting/amusing that the same person is both my boss and my peer. Anyone else ever find themselves in a situation such as this? How did it work out for you?
- Mood:
contemplative
Comments
For that past decade or so I've had supervisors who were extremely hands-off. The past 7 years in particular have been this way because my boss(es) knew I had more expertise in my particular area than they did--and that was fine with them. A good supervisor knows how to delegate, for the simple reason that they can't do it all themselves, and they can't be expert in everything.
I supervise a staff of six. I know a little bit about how each of them do their jobs, but they're plenty better at the specifics than I am. That's not only fine with me, it's preferred. I can't do the work of seven people. I would rather have people who are better at something than I am, be doing that something. That's what a staff is for.
All the above mostly applies to your role with Warren. With respect to Shawna, it's a combination of your long working relationship (holy crap, has it been four years already?), and her being confident in what she does. That you are her peer in your roles as art director and nonfiction editor doesn't devalue her position as fiction editor. Since you are both confident adults and get along well, you can expand your relationship to encompass that.
Situations such as this require two things: 1. that everyone respect the structure of the organization, and 2. everyone have confidence in their abilities. People who don't do well in this sort of thing usually either have severe insecurities (beyond the normal insecurities most of us have), have a hard time recognizing the expertise of others, and/or have difficulty working within a business structure.