EDUCATION
EMPATHY IN LEADERS:
A JOURNALIST’S PERSPECTIVE As part of the recent commentary on the characteristics of effective leadership, Quarry editor Damian Christie (pictured, right) explains the importance of empathy in his role working with the quarrying industry for the past 13 years.
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arlier this year, the Institute of Quarrying Australia (IQA) invited me to present a monthly article, based on one of the seven core characteristics of effective leadership (see Figure 1). Rather than write all seven scenarios myself, I invited numerous people to make a contribution, from a diverse demographic and a number of industries. This additional chapter features a narrative from Quarry editor Damian Christie who selected empathetic relationships for his account of becoming an effective leader. I offered the following brief explanation for Empathetic Relationships in my book: Empathetic leaders have the ability to recognise, understand and share the thoughts and feelings of another person. They acknowledge the story without judgement. Mike Cameron
Damian Christie’s story As a journalist on and off for the best part of 25 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work across a variety of industries: the youth and child welfare sectors, in medical education and professional development, in a peak advocate for the confectionery industry, and for more than 13 years for the quarrying industry. When I explain this to people, they are surprised at the extensive and diverse fields I’ve covered. However, this shouldn’t be altogether surprising. Journalists – whether they work for trade publications (as I do), newspapers, magazines, television or the internet – all start out as “generalists”, that is, reporting and writing about an assortment of different topics and themes. On a community newspaper in particular – and especially so if you’re based in the regions – you could be a police reporter, sports reporter, real estate correspondent, local politics commentator and even arts and crafts scribe all rolled into
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one. Talk about adaptability and flexibility! While many journalists ultimately specialise in certain fields and industries (eg economics, politics, entertainment, aviation, transport, etc), and earn enormous respect for their work in these specialties, they nevertheless will have been savvy enough at the beginning of their careers to write about an array of other content. And they will not just have needed to write well about different topics, they will have needed to be enthusiastic about them too. If journalists don’t approach each and every assignment with an open mind, they will be unable to write well – and will certainly lose their readers if they can’t present pieces of writing that are insightful, persuasive and compelling. So when people remark that I’ve “been around”, I attribute working across different industries as part and parcel of my profession. It might seem negative and daunting to non-writers to effectively have to reset when you move into a new role that is covering unfamiliar territory. But, in many ways it is simply about having adaptability and due diligence. A journalist’s role doesn’t greatly alter when they move into a new field – they still report and communicate as always – it just requires them to learn and better understand the field they have joined, and to be empathetic.
LEARNING ‘ON THE JOB’ I’ve been a long-standing editor of Quarry, the IQA’s official journal, since mid-2008. While I was aware that quarries existed (I’m a lover of science fiction films and television, and Doctor Who in particular is full of quarries masquerading as extra-terrestrial environments), I knew next to nothing about the Australian industry when I started and I certainly had no work experience on a site. But then again, I knew very little about the other industries I’d worked in when I came
to them fresh – confectionery, surgical disciplines, obstetrics and gynaecology, etc. It was simply a matter of learning more about the extractive industry, presenting myself at IQA meetings where I could meet and talk with members of the industry, and taking time out of the office to undertake site visits and learn as much about the industry as I could “on the job”, so to speak. I found that the more I visited quarries and saw the plant and equipment in action – particularly the crushing and screening circuits – the more I could start to relate what was happening on-site with the material that I was editing for the magazine. Something else that in hindsight was to my advantage was an unexpected invitation I received within one week of beginning as Quarry editor. It was from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to attend the launch of a drill rig – in Finland. I’d been to Europe before but all the same going to a launch in Finland (a country I’d never visited) within a month of starting a new role was surreal and daunting. However, it was a godsend because I was able to meet with like-minded journalists and editors on other mining and quarrying titles from the US, South Africa, Asia and Europe; communications and marketing personnel from within the OEMs; and engineers that designed and operated the plant and
