Pivoting careers and dealing with stress in the journalism industry can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be impossible to deal with. Lori Montenegro, bureau chief for Telemundo’s Washington D.C. Office, gave advice to NPF’s Widening the Pipeline fellows on how to deal with the stress and difficult moments in their careers.
3 Takeaways:
1. Don’t let toxic colleagues bring you down
As a reporter who was born in Cuba, Montenegro often faced backlash in the newsroom and had her identity used against her. She advised the fellows to not let those things stick with them.
“You can’t allow that, because that becomes a chip on the shoulder, and then the chip on the shoulder goes here, and it sits here in your heart and it festers,” Montenegro said.
However, Montenegro acknowledged that there are times when it is necessary to stand up for yourself.
“Some things, you just have to let it roll … some things you can’t,” she said.
2. Be careful where you go for advice
Montenegro told the early-career journalists a saying her mom instilled in her that “you see faces, you don’t see hearts.”
Be aware that people will encourage you to do things that they don’t have the courage to do themselves, Montenegro said.
She also advised the fellows to avoid office gossip.
“People will know that you mean business when you don’t engage,” Montenegro said.
3. Have a positive mindset
“You need to always be focused on growth. Don’t have a poor mentality,” she said.
Always be in the mindset of where you see yourself in the future and don’t give in to the people who try to pull you down, said Montenegro.
“I’m not saying that it doesn’t hurt … but I’m not going to give you the satisfaction,” she said.
Montenegro reflected on a moment of insecurity in her own career, when she took her current job as bureau chief.
She explained how she had never thought about management, but ultimately took the job and overcoming her self-doubt.
“That’s been the most important pivot that I’ve had to make, because once you go from somebody being your colleague, to now you supervising them, that’s a whole different ball game,” she said. “Those doubts, don’t let them paralyze you from really fulfilling your potential.”
Access the full transcript here.
This fellowship is sponsored by the Evelyn Y. Davis Foundation and Lenovo. NPF is solely responsible for the content.
