"The American Dream Embodied in a Journalism Professor"

"Award-winning educator Saltzman embodies "the American Dream" - Alex Boekelheide

Joe Saltzman (Chapter 3 in Leaders: Their Stories, Their Words), faculty member at USC for over 44 years, accepted the Scripps Howard Foundation's award for Journalism and Mass Communication last night. Scripps Howard's National Journalism Awards are considered among the most prestigious awards in American journalism. "Saltzman is the American dream embodied in a journalism professor," the Scripps Howard judges wrote in their citation. Read on....

Once I decided to dive in and write my book, I immediately contacted Joe Saltzman and asked if he would agree to be interviewed, and he accepted. When we first met, through his wife Barbara, one of the things I noticed about Joe was how humble he is. Ironically, our first in-person meeting happened when he came to Toronto to receive one of his many awards. And here he is being honored yet again for his extraordinary work. He defines Human-Based Leadership.

There is so much learning in his piece. One comment he made that really stays with me and serves as a guide when I'm speaking is "I tell my students, “We can teach you how to do things. We can give you the techniques and the knowledge to create good journalism, but it is up to you to bring the passion, the concern, the caring to the job. We can’t teach you that.”" 

The same applies for leaders. They can give you the training, the tools, the resources to do things but it's up to you to bring the passion, drive, caring and human values to the job.