Friday, August 5, 2011

What Type of Production Editor Are You?

Since I was fortunate enough to attend MediaBistro's Career Circus yesterday, I came away with a lot of food for thought on careers and what one should look for in a job. One of the top debates of the day was doing what you're passionate about versus what you're good at, and I'm a firm believer of a mix of the two: it's easier to do well if you do something you're good at, but try to do it at a company or industry that you can get passionate about.

This reminded me of a conversation I recently had with a friend on the four types of PEs (production editors) I've come across--and managed--in my career:

  1. the Lifer: This PE loves nothing more than being a PE and making books. She is not interested in advancement or anything that will take her away from working on the books she loves. 
  2. the Nine-to-Fiver: This PE is often good at the work they do, but it's only a day job for them and allows them to do what they're passionate about after hours, whether it's music, writing, theater, etc.
  3. the Ambitious: This PE does her job well but sees it as the first of many stepping stones to her ultimate goal, whether it's running the department or higher.
  4. the Ill-Suited: This PE is not good at what they do and is just not suited for the work of a PE. 
Although I speak of PEs in particular, the above categories are probably true for many jobs out there and it's very important for an individual to know which category they fall into and for their manager to know this as well. If you happen to manage a Lifer, promotion is not the way to motivate her; nor is it the way to motivate anyone but the Ambitious. If you manage a Nine-to-Fiver, respecting the work-life-balance and rewarding her with extra time off may be the key. For the Ill-Suited, if the person does not respond to all your efforts at training or development, it's in both your best interests to figure out what job they would be suited for.

One of my all-time favorite books on management is First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. It inspired me and introduced me to the "Strengths Revolution." The premise is that although skills and knowledge can be taught, talent and strengths are innate; to succeed at work and gain satisfaction from it, your job must play to these inherent strengths. It is a manager's job to help their staff do so, and to do so for themselves. If you manage staff and want to do it well,  I highly recommend reading this book.

So do you know your strengths and what motivates you? What type of PE are you?

4 comments:

Lynda said...

Interesting discussion, Karina. I guess I would fall within both the Lifer and the Nine-to-Fiver, as I love the work, and I also have a passion outside of work. Maybe that would be a Nine-to-Lifer.

Karina Mikhli said...

Lynda,

If you're the Lynda that used to work for me, then you're definitely a "Nine-to-Lifer." Love that term...and thanks for pointing out that people can fall into more than one category.

Karina

Rachael said...

Hi, Karina!

Though (as you know) I am not a PE, I liked this post, because it hit on some ideas I've been thinking about lately. I recently spoke with a career counselor (and wrote about it here), who pointed out that one might want different things from her paid work at different points in her career. Right now, for example, I'm definitely a Nine-to-Fiver. (Admittedly, I don't keep 9-to-5 hours, but the spirit is that of a Nine-to-Fiver.) At some point I might become more ambitious regarding my paid work, but not at this stage of my life.

Though I do wonder, do 9-to-5 jobs really exist these days? And don't Nine-to-Fivers get penalized for having their hearts elsewhere, even if they can be relied upon to produce solid work?

Karina Mikhli said...

Hi Rachael,

Liked your post and the points you made there.

And yes, I think many of us want different things out of work and life at different points. For some it's okay to just have a job to pay the bills, while others want a career and a career track. Neither is right or wrong; it's what you need and what's right for you.

I've had nine-to-fivers work for me and didn't penalize them, so it's possible. The trick is to do good work and then it won't even come up...most of the time, at least.