Know who you work for

In my years as a newsroom editor, I had two major goals in mind as I worked: I wanted to meet the readers' needs, and I wanted to make the reporters I worked with look good. The first goal was obvious, the second more subtle. It meant helping reporters think about what their audience expected from each story, and teaching them to be not just better writers but better self-editors. It also meant going beyond expectations, and delivering more than was asked of us.