FROM 'THERE' TO 'HERE'

SUCCESS CAN BE TRICKY...

My interview of Calgary’s new mayor [Ralph Klein] was the first of eight cover features Harry assigned to me that eventually caught the attention of the Calgary Sun Publisher and Sun City Editor – who urged the new Life-Style Editor [ambitious Mary Jane] to make me an offer.

*** Life Lesson: the higher we ‘climb’ the better the view, but also greater the effort to stay ‘up’ because someone else who is envious of your-view may seek to take it…

Theater, the actual place with foot lights and a stage isn’t the only place where egos and drama appear. Call it politics, but navigating around in a world of insecure-people is not easy even when you do know they’re present. When you don’t see them coming your personal and professional ‘legs’ can be yanked out from under you.

At first, I was immensely flattered to be approached and offered a full-time staff position by The Calgary Sun. It had been a dream I dared not hope for since I left the Static, 19 years before…

Harry Pegg’s assistant editor Kit also joined me in the Life-Style section with new editor Mary Jane. Since Kit and I had already worked together for several months we had an easy working rapport. As well as two or three lifestyle features each week, I was still responsible for my weekly Mirror column too.

However, Mary Jane though outwardly welcoming had an edge to her personality that I couldn’t quite identify – but working with her seemed like something I could handle. Nevertheless, my dad had often said, “Always be watchful, Prima-donnas far outnumber Musketeers…”

But on that first day, I was so flattered and so elated that caution was nowhere in sight. I dived toward my new adventure with all the gangly naive, enthusiasm of a St. Bernard puppy.

I absolutely cannot protect anyone who is reading this from any deliberate career sabotage you might encounter. However, I can wave a caution flag… Do understand that if you select to write for advertising, for publicity or public relations, or a small weekly publication or large daily publication – initially - keep a supportive, but ‘low’ profile.

I know from experience that being deferential to those who were already ‘there’ before you were hired or volunteered – is a ‘safe’ means of surviving, until you become a known quantity. All too quickly someone else’s insecurity and envy can derail your career plan.

Having said that – I didn’t allow what ultimately happened to me at The Sun to stop me – it merely became a detour…

The May 22 column was my last at the Sun-Mirror. The following week the Lifestyle Editor accompanied by the City Editor informed me that my three-month trial as a potential Sun staffer was over, but I would not be offered a full-time position. Mary Jane’s formal reason was that she could not count on me to meet her weekly deadlines and claimed she had to rewrite most of my copy - most of the time!

…Before a short run as Assistant Entertainment Editor for The Sun - Mary Jane had been an accountant at a bank. With star-struct-ambition, using bank connections she got to know people who knew people then managed to get hired for the Entertainment Section. Soon however, the established Entertainment Editor - who had seniority lobbied to have her ‘moved’. Unfortunately for me she was offered the Life-Style Section when Mary Jane really wanted to interview singers and actors. She kept trying to make the lifestyle section more like whose-who. Kit Poole also had an established Sun history and was a talented journalist - so M.J was stuck with her.

It took me all summer and well into the fall to recover both personally and professionally from the sabotage of that editor. Personally, knowing from years of never missing deadlines with very little [if any] editorial changes by my two previous editors – was of little comfort. At first, I was stumped as to why Mary Jane had engineered justification for not only letting me go, but she sabotaged the Mirror column I had written for the last 18 months too. For appearances Harry Pegg couldn’t keep me on either.

As I said before, journalism [print, radio and television] is part of the ‘arts’ world filled with the same level of ego and ambition that we have come to expect from actors or painters or musicians. For some people getting ahead [if ethics isn’t a factor] then contriving to remove any competitor, is a justified element on their personal career path.

***Life Lesson: never forget that ‘politics’ is everywhere in any and every business. If the business is raising chickens or manufacturing tires or banking or selling Avon…If the business has a hierarchy with room for any advancement, then there’s politics and competition.

And, unlike, Kit my fellow feature writer [who was super savvy in dealing with the lifestyle editor’s fragile ego] I realized too late just how dangerous, insecure people can be.

Over the previous 6 weeks I had questioned Mary Jane’s arbitrary editorial changes to three high profile interviews with people who had trusted me ‘not’ to put a spin on their information. But M.J. was going for more sensation. I had made it clear that as editor she could change what she wanted, but in the future replace my byline with hers. [About as diplomatic as a dunk in ice water.] In addition, I was getting outside speaking invitations from organizations like the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and Lion’s Club that M.J. felt should have gone to her, because ‘she’ was the editor.

Regardless, the damage was done and as far as daily newspapers in Alberta was concerned, I was limited. The other major daily newspaper The Calgary Herald did not hire former Sun writers, and I wasn’t about to move to Edmonton. So, I mourned the finish of my journalism potential before it even had a decent start.

Then in November came a knock on my back door from Myrtle McLean. Myrtle and her retired husband John lived directly behind me. She was not only my neighbor who had bravely proofread every draft of my first three fiction manuscripts, she had become a close trusted friend.

With only a silent smile she handed me an ad she had cut out of the Herald Business Section. Oilweek Magazine was looking for and Exploration Editor. Reading the list of qualifications – I had all of them plus one more...