Maximizing Your Circ Team In Tough Times

Circulation Management, July 1, 2003

Are you scrambling to keep your staff motivated as more work fills their already-overloaded in-boxes? Not surprisingly, the majority of circulators said, "Yes," during two department-management seminars held at the 2003 Circulation Management Conference & Expo. Doing more with less is a given, consumer and business-to-business executives told audiences. And finding ways to keep morale high and tension low is a constant challenge, especially when staffs are down-sized and financial incentives and promotion opportunities are limited. But with a little ingenuity, it can be done, the panelists reported. Following are among their solutions.

* Pull together as a team

Everyone is affected when employee numbers are trimmed, so restoring faltering confidences is crucial. The bottom line is that everyone has to work together, says Sara DeCarlo, group circulation director at Ziff Davis Media. When her company experienced cutbacks last year, she took an unconventional approach. "I wiped away titles all together, including mine," she says. "We're a team, and we've got goals that we have to achieve. Because the reality is that if we don't achieve these goals, we may not be here. So, we all code invoices and do print orders. I chip in just like everybody else."

* Give staff members room to grow

On-the-job training and participation in industry events are important to circulators' career growth, but opening them up to the publishing industry as a whole and challenging them with greater responsibilities are among the best motivators.

"Our role in circulation is multi-dimensional, which is why people need to understand the total publishing formula," stresses Diane Potter, senior VP, consumer marketing for G+J USA Publishing. DeCarlo agrees. To further her staff's education, regardless of their experience, she has taught them to operate as marketers as well as business and production managers, so they can run their magazines as they would any other business property. "I think if you teach even the most junior circulator the highest-level department challenges, you're going to strengthen that individual and he or she is going to contribute at a much higher level," DeCarlo says. Now, all of her team members are able to contribute to the circulation, advertising and budgetary/cost-saving areas.

Ensuring that employees understand the company's annual goals and how the circ department plays a part in those is equally important. "People aren't just toiling away, doing more work in their area without knowing how everything fits together," explains Simon Young, circulation director at Reed Business Information. "They're actually doing something that they can see direct results of for the company, which gives them a sense of ownership."

This knowledge also gives the team more realistic expectations about the future. "It's important not to lose sight of the fact that people throughout your organization don't have your insight and understanding about the business," points out Michele Givens, general manager of Editorial Projects in Education. "I think you owe it to them to share your perspective on the industry that you're operating in and how you're stacking up within the publishing environment." One way EPIE imparts such knowledge is through quarterly financial memos that connect numbers to what each department does and the "ultimate pay-off."

All of this education allows circ bosses like Reed's Young to loosen the reins and give their employees more responsibility. "Ultimately, my staff is in charge of meeting objectives on time and within budget, and it's their responsibility to come to me and say, 'Here's a problem I need help with,'" he says. "I find that people respond well to that."

* Set goals and prioritize

"Like everyone else, our staff is stretched," says Joanne Wheatley, VP, circulation for VNU Business Publications USA, "so we're really streamlining and focusing our efforts." Activities that don't move the needle are pushed down the priority list.

At Post Newsweek Tech Media, as workloads began to increase, chief operating officer Maxine Minar requested lists of staff projects so that she could help determine what was most important. "I found out there were at least 15 reports being created that management never spent time with," Minar admits. She also discovered that help in prioritizing was positive in other ways. "It makes people feel like you've lifted a certain part off their shoulders," she says. "It's not about how they have to get everything done, it's about concentrating on key things."

* Get support from upper management

After priorities are set and goals reached, the circ department benefits in terms of credibility, points out Reed's Young. "If you deliver results and savings, and pursued an initiative in line with the company's strategic objectives, then [upper management] will listen to you," he explains. "When the hard times come along, you're in a better position then you'd be otherwise." "It's all about establishing trust," adds Ziff Davis' DeCarlo.