COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

By Elliott Wenzler Colorado Community Media

Vulnerability may not be a quality many leaders emphasize, but it’s something Colorado Community Media publisher Linda Shapley thinks about daily.

As the head of a local news organization, Shapley sees it as a vital part of gaining the trust of readers and employees alike.

“Vulnerability is a hidden superpower for people,” she said. “Authenticity often comes from a sense of vulnerability, of being open about yourself.”

While in the early days of her career, Shapley saw newsrooms full of hard-charging, argumentative personalities, she found strength in approaching the job with the opposite demeanor. By focusing on sharing genuine parts of herself and listening to others, she’s grown from a copy editor to a managing editor to publisher, slashing through stereotypes along the way.

“It makes room for women, or anyone who says ‘I don’t want to be that kind of person,’” she said. “It’s been a real joy to just be a caring and empathetic boss.”

Not just a job

In kindergarten, Shapley showed her fi rst hints of leadership aspirations when she volunteered to take attendance and lead her fellow 5-year-olds in the Pledge of Allegiance. She went on to be the president of her 4-H and FFA clubs in rural Weld County and moved into leadership positions in her student newspaper.

At Colorado State University, she served as a copy editor and eventually editor-in-chief for the Rocky Mountain Collegian. From there, she worked tirelessly to secure an internship in West Virginia, where she found herself going above and beyond by assigning work for a special section on the county fair.

After more internships and a position at her hometown newspaper in Greeley, she settled into a job at The Denver Post, where she again sought out opportunities to improve her own work along with that of the organization. As a copy editor and designer, she again went beyond her typical duties to help organize annual election coverage.

“I was somebody who was like, ‘This needs to get done; I’ll just do it,’” she said.

As a mother of two, she and her husband, Ed, had to make a diffi cult decision about who would sacrifi ce ‘I’m somebody who dives wholeheartedly into this, and I want to make sure everybody feels that same level of satisfaction. Whether that’s a byproduct of being a woman leader, I don’t know, but it’s certainly what makes me really happy about being here.’

Linda Shapley,

publisher Colorado Community Media

their work to create the at-home environment they wanted for their children.

“He said, ‘Well you have a career, I just have a job. Why don’t I stay home with the kids?’” she said.

Shapley went on to be the sole breadwinner in her home, raising eyebrows from a few relatives but giving her family the right solution for their situation.

“I’m lucky that I had someone supportive enough to get that and not feel threatened by it at all,” she said.

During that time, she was instrumental in several major news events for The Denver Post. From designing the front page following the 9/11 attacks to coordinating a special section on the Iraq War, her career continued to be a powerful anchor in her life.

“This job has never been just a job for me,” she said. “I’m somebody who dives wholeheartedly into this, and I want to make sure everybody feels that same level of satisfaction. Whether that’s a byproduct of being a woman leader, I don’t know, but it’s certainly what makes me really happy about being here.”

Always learning

For most of her career as various types of editors, Shapley has been charged with executing someone else’s vision for the organization. Now, as publisher, she’s exhilarated by the opportunity to use her years of experience to create her own workplace culture. And as the top person in charge, she’s adopted a philosophy of servant leadership.

“I’m here to help you do what you need to do in order to be successful at whatever it is you want to be,” she said. “That goes for our businesses, our readers, the people who work at CCM. It’s really important to me that people feel they have an opportunity to do their best work.”

She also focuses on incorporating hearing from her employees about changes and major decisions. While hiring for a new editor-in-chief, Shapley formed a task force of various internal stakeholders to help with interviews and provide feedback on candidates.

“As much as I need to be the leader and the decision maker, I know that doesn’t happen without listening to all the people who have been here longer than me,” she said. “I’m never going to be that kind of leader that is just like ‘It’s my way and I don’t care what you think’ because it’s not how my brain works. I do care what you think.”

Throughout her career, she’s maintained the attitude that whatever opportunity presents itself to her, she can grow into it and learn the necessary skills to thrive. When she learned about the role as CCM’s publisher, she wasn’t sure if she had the skills required but she knew one thing: she could fi gure it out.

“That’s my strength — or my hubris. I fi gure I’m always learning,” she said. “I want everyone to feel that same level of satisfaction of learning.”