How to Train an Army and Fight a War At the Same Time

The Yearbook elective gained 10 new staffers this semester. For once, our staff actually fills up all of the seats in the classroom, and then some. This is probably the largest the elective has been in years, and with all these new staffers, some changes will have to be made.

*Dramatization of the swelling numbers of Yearbook staffers

For one, I’ve already set a plan into motion for training the newbies while still getting work done. Ever since the slip with Deadline 1, we’ve been playing catch up on all the deadlines. I know that it’s important to train the new staffers, but I don’t want to dedicate TOO much time to training, because I don’t want to risk falling behind again. Therefore, I initiated Operation H.T.G.R. (or Hit The Ground Running). There will be a few lessons here and there to give the rookies a foundational knowledge of yearbook, but they’ll be learning the specifics in their beats (or groups).

Hannah the Fearless Photo Editor shows the newbies how to upload a photo.

Malorie and I took some time to rework the beats so they would include the new staffers. (In case you don’t know, a “beat” is a group of 2-3 staffers who are assigned to keep updated on the happenings of a certain aspect of the school. For instance, those on the Drama beat are required to know when the rehearsals are, who got what lead role, when the show is, etc.) These new beats are a mix of experienced and rookie staffers, and the goal of this experiment is for the experienced staffers to show the newbies the ropes, show them how to keep up with a beat and how to stay organized.

However, I don’t want the new staffers to think yearbook is ALL work. I have to balance a relatively rigorous training regimen with enough staff bonding so they ENJOY their time here. Get to know everyone, bring little surprises in the form of baked goods. Morale is extremely important for a staff, and it especially helps out when the staff is under pressure.

Look at these happy editors! Their morale is DEFINITELY high!

This seems to be some sort of test of my leadership. I had gotten used to working with the same people under the same conditions. Now there are new (inexperienced) staffers, two deadlines left and not much time to complete them in.  My goal is to help these new staffers assimilate into the elective, and perhaps enjoy their time so much that they join again next year. Should this work, it would fulfill the “Legacy Initiative” I wrote about for last month’s extra blog post.

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I am extremely proud of the visual aesthetic of my presentation. I put a lot of work into the slides, and I feel like it helped maintain the attention of the class. I know that others were certainly engaged by the design of my slides. I tried to compensate for the fact that a lecture on staff management tactics would get boring.

2. a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

   AE    P       AP    CR    NC

    b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I didn’t do anything exceptional, or worthy of an AE. All of the research I cited in the presentation was tailored toward supporting my answer. I made the time requirement, spoke clearly, and did my best to engage the audience as I spoke. My activity did what it was supposed to, teach my answer in a tangible way. I accomplished all of the P requirements, but I did not go the extra mile (this time around).

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

As cheesy as they were, I feel like my pun hook worked to grab the class’s attention. I was able to calm down my nerves and speak slow enough to make time. My presentation time also worked in my favor, because if I had presented later in the day, the class would have gotten more anxious and paid less attention to my content.

4. What didn't work? If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

I would have changed parts of my activity. As demented as it sounds, I intended for feelings to be hurt when people were excluded from the party planning process. It was the best way, I thought, to really teach people the benefits of having a shared vision. I would have figured out a different objective for the activity, but kept the premise of “Shared Vision Leader” and “Bad Leader” in different groups.

5. What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

My second EQ answer will be “A successful editor-in-chief organizes his or her staff using various media and a hierarchical staff structure.”

Blog 12: Mentorship 10 hours check

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?

I am doing my mentorship here at IPoly, in the Yearbook elective.

2.   Who is your contact?

My contact is Mr. Shawn Strand.

3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?

Since I’ve only recently gotten this mentorship avenue approved, I’ve gotten 7 hours 10 minutes done. It was difficult to work during the holiday break. I will be completing the full 10 hours afterschool this coming Friday (January 9th).

4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

So far, I have worked on organizing a staff of 20 staffers and 9 editors towards the goal of completing the second deadline of the yearbook. I held a progress meeting to judge where the problems were. Many staffers hadn’t turn in their photos or copy (the writing) on time, so the deadline completion has been going slowly. 2 editors and I are designers, so we have been working in a frenzy to input content into the spreads of the book. I also met with our representative from the yearbook publishing company, who provided me with helpful insight and advice.

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

1.  It is important to consistently work on your senior project, whether it is break or we are in school.  What did you do over the break with your senior project?

Since school’s been out and I haven’t been able to gather the entire staff together (due to vacations and other scheduling issues), I’ve mostly worked with the designers in cranking out spreads from the content that has been submitted. I’ve tried to stay in contact with everyone, and reminded the staff to turn in any and all copy or photos they have so Cesar, Jason, and I actually have something to design with. Since copy has to be edited by the copy editors, I’ve made sure that they check everything to make sure it’s proper and ready to be placed into spreads. Aside from that, there isn’t much that I can do without the staff.

2.  What was the most important thing you learned from what you did, and why?  What was the source of what you learned?

I’d say the most important thing I learned is that you should always, always plan ahead. Since we took too much extra time completing Deadline 1, we fell behind on Deadline 2. Before break I started assigning stories for Deadline 3, so this doesn’t happen again. However, I failed to emphasize how crucial it was for everyone to submit their work before break. The designers and I didn’t have much to work off of, and that was mostly on me. Of course, I also learned that you can’t always rely on the staff to do yearbook work during a holiday break.

3.  If you were going to do a 10 question interview on questions related to answers for your EQ, who would you talk to and why?

I would interview one of the past editors-in-chief of the IPoly Yearbook, either Elissa Fultz or Emma Seyffert. They would offer a perspective that I can relate to, and have the clarity of hindsight to add to their advice.

The Legacy Initiative

I’ve been thinking a lot about legacies this year. As Editor in Chief, it’s kind of my duty to leave a good legacy, and to make sure the juniors are prepared to captain the ship when we leave. They’re very capable photographers, and they can write excellent copy, but there’s one major hole in the juniors’ expertise: there are no designers. Cesar, Jason, and I are all seniors, and we’re the only designers on the staff. You can imagine how disastrous this would be if we did nothing about it. This is why we three designers have begun training the junior editors in design.

How did we come to this roadblock? I think it started last year. We had an astoundingly low number of sophomore staffers, and about half of the few sophomores we did have either left the elective or left the school. I began my design training in sophomore year, and the experience I’ve had since has given me the design skills I have today. My biggest issue with training is that, next year, there won’t be a single experienced designer on staff. We really have to get cracking on training so they can be prepared for whatever obstacles the juniors might face next year.

The software we’re using to create the yearbook this year, eDesign, is great for beginners. Even if it can be extremely slow at aggravating. As I’ve explained in an earlier blog post, eDesign is basically a (very) stripped down version of Adobe InDesign. Since there are less functions, it’ll be easier for the juniors to learn the ins and outs of the software.

Apprentice Madee Doctor logging on to eDesign like a champ.

In order to make scheduling less of an issue, the designers and I split up our “pupils” and are going to teach each one-on-one. I will be coaching Madee Doctor, while Cesar and Jason will teach Jake Taylor and Julianne General (respectively). I already assigned Madee to a spread in the yearbook, and she seems to be making good progress. One thing I’ve made sure to do is show her what good design looks like. I’ve attending several Yearbook Workshops, and one lesson that’s been consistent through them all has been to find inspiration. You can’t create a great spread out of thin air. And if you do, chances are it’s not that great. Not as great as it could be, at least. Before I started training Madee, I had her bring me examples of what she considered good design, and then I had her recreate the spreads she found on eDesign. This is a training technique called “style imitation”, and it helps in the long run with consistency in the book.

A page from Wired Magazine that inspired the design for our foods of iPoly spread.

This past semester, I’ve been making sure I leave a memorable legacy by creating an awesome book. Now, I have to secure my legacy. I have to ensure that I leave,  I leave a staff that’s more than capable to hold their own. This is the halfway point of the year. There's still a long road ahead. We’re halfway there. Livin’ on a prayer.

I like to think of myself as Gandalf and the staff are the Fellowship, and I'm leading them towards... a good book. 

We Beat Loki!

We did it, everyone. We beat Loki. No, not the Nordic supervillain from the Marvel Universe; Loki is the nickname we’ve given Deadline 1 of the yearbook. And all of Deadline 1 has been submitted! *insert cheering crowd* There are some beautiful spreads this deadline, and the opening copy just screams IPoly. Although there were a few stumbling blocks on the way here, overall things went pretty great.

It's a good thing we didn't actually have to take this guy on.

Now for a look at eDesign’s handy dandy Coverage Report (I love eDesign so much). In just this first deadline we were able to get 29% of students covered at least twice, and one third of the school population is a great start. However, there’s still a lot of ground to cover... regarding coverage. As you can see in the image below, most of the status bar is still in the red (meaning they've either been covered once or zero times). At this rate, however, everyone should be covered by Deadline 3. My goal is to ultimately have everyone covered 3 times (which is green). There will be a few elusive people, but I think this goal is very achievable.

Goal: getting this bar to be as green and yellow as Loki's costume.

Work has already begun on Deadline 2. You may notice a certain theme among the deadline names. The Avengers are assembled, geared up and ready to continue making this year’s book the greatest IPoly has seen. Until next time.

Psh, it's not like I love Marvel and this was my idea or anything.

Blog 10: EQ

1.   "I reviewed the rule of three for writing an EQ."

2.  Review the following EQs and

• Tell us if each meets the rule of three.
• Tell why they do or don't.

a.  What is the most important factor in healthy weight loss?

• Doesn’t meet rule of three; not specific enough

b.  What is most important to securing a conviction in a criminal investigation?

• Meets rule of three; it allows for a broad amount of research, takes a certain stance, and is specific enough for clarity

c.  What is most important in creating a hairstyle that best satisfies a customer?

• Meets rule of three; it allows for a broad amount of research, takes a certain stance, and is specific enough for clarity

d.  How can an anesthesiologist best treat chronic pain?

• Doesn’t meet rule of three; not specific enough, it’d just be a list of facts

3.  Based on your review of the rule of 3 and your experience with assessing four EQs, please write another draft EQ for your senior project.  

What is the most effective method of managing a yearbook staff, which promotes morale and the success of the book?