Do small favours for people.
My father offered me this advice before I moved to Alberta from Manitoba to pursue my career in journalism. Do this and you'll have an easier time asking others for favours when in need, he added.
It's advice that mirrors that which self-made Canadian billionare Seymour Schulich offered in his book titled, Get Smarter: Life and Business Lessons, in a chapter about reciprocity.
“In simple terms, reciprocity is the idea that people have a very hard time saying no to someone who has done something, even a small favour, for them,” Schulich said.
Since I've moved to Alberta, I've taken this advice to heart. I've never found any errand to be too small and I've never behaved as though my time was too important to help others.
During my first newspaper job in Alberta, I was asked by my publisher to deliver a package for her while she was out of the office. Not only was it a good chance to get out of the office for a few minutes, but it was an opportunity to do someone a small favour. It wasn't much of a task. I didn't even expect a thank you, but when my publisher returned to the office she explained how much the favour helped and how much she appreciated the help. From that moment on I've realized that small favours can often mean the whole world to others.
Two weeks ago today, I started work at the Innisfail Province as its new editor. It is my sixth job working at a community newspaper in Alberta and my second job as a community newspaper editor.
As a community newspaper editor I'd like to think such an attitude helps. Part of the newspaper's role is providing a service to the community. That means that a large part of our job will consist of doing small favours for others. It means we'll be there to help promote the fundraisers that help our community thrive. It means we'll help promote events that bring the community together. We'll feature stories about the people that help the community grow and we'll always keep the benefit of the community in the back of our minds.
People often make a mistake when thinking journalists exist just to create controversy and will often forget when we drop everything at a moment's notice to go grab a picture of a cheque being presented to a local non-profit organization.
But the truth is that a journalist's job comes with a great deal of responsibility. It's also a job that demands attention to ethics. It's also the journalist's job to provide balance, which means reporting on both good news and bad.
But what I'd like to encourage at the Innisfail Province is a sense of community service. I hope it shows whenever you read your local community newspaper.
