I heard the new editor of Ohio’s largest newspaper speak to a group of Northeast Ohio journalists the other day. He agreed to answer questions from the audience after he finished speaking, which I thought took some guts.
You see, Ohio’s largest newspaper is not always thought of as Ohio’s most well-respected newspaper. Especially not to a roomful of reporters — most of whom work for the competition.
After the first few obligatory innocuous questions, a reporter asked, somewhat rhetorically, what the editor thought the best newspapers in the country were, and where Ohio’s largest newspaper ranked.
The editor listed the usual suspects: The News York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe and The Miami Herald. Then, he told 150 journalists that he was going to dodge the next part of the question.
Take note: If you’re ever interviewed by a reporter, dodging a question is the worst thing you can. The subject always comes out looking worse than if he had given any sort of answer at all.
But this editor knows his trade. And he escaped the inevitable with this simple explanation: You see, he said, Ohio’s largest newspaper ought to be a contender to be one of the best newspapers. It has the budget and the ambition. See me again in a year or two.
That got me thinking. Those ingredients — budget and ambition —are pretty commonplace. You might even have them. What’s not as commonplace is the mindset, knowing that you are contending on a world-class level, not just a local level.
I had the distinct opportunity to meet some world-class contenders when I was working on the Innovation in Business section this month. Ed Tromczynski, of Twinsburg-based PlanSoft, has grown his company from a offshoot of Conferon to the leader in computer-based conference planning. And he has some of the biggest names in the hospitality industry backing him up.
Ken Thompson, who owns PlastiCards, reads the Los Angeles Times to keep up on trends. Then he jumps on them. Time and time again, he has developed niche products and taken them to market faster than any company anywhere.
And I had the pleasure of talking to Robert Mahoney, CEO of Diebold, who had just returned from China the day before. Diebold, founded in Canton in 1859, is the epitome of a world-class contender.
Who’s your competition?
Connie Swenson ([email protected]) is editor of SBN.