Being an EIC for Odyssey has helped me grow in more ways than as a writer. These last five months have taught me how to be a leader and from that is where this list is derived:

Responsibility.

It’s a big part of being a leader. There have been times where I have been late on editing, or even getting my own articles in. Every time I drop the ball on something, I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me that I messed up. As terrible of a feeling as that is, it shows that you are responsible and hold yourself accountable. If you’re lucky like me, you have an amazing boss who understands that we are all human and knows that you’re giving your all.

Coaching.

Being an Editor In Chief (EIC) for Odyssey has its moments where you feel as though you're a coach. You have those days where everything falls in order and then you have the days where you need to give your team an extra push to get things done. Nevertheless, your team always comes out on top and proves themselves to be the champs when it comes to letting their voices be heard.

Confidence in Decisions.

As an EIC you get to make all the big decisions for your squad, meaning, you get to onboard and reward people. I can honestly say that though I am by nature a very indecisive person, knowing that my record of onboarding people to my team so far has been good, I am becoming more confident.

How to Stay Goal Oriented.

It's one thing to have a goal and to work towards it. It's a whole new thing to have a goal and work through obstacles. No matter what happens while you are an EIC, you still have a deadline to meet and a quota to reach. If you have a week with low counts, it is your job to figure out why it happened and to fix it. I have had weeks where I have had to write many articles to get my counts up, all so that I can reach a goal.

Understanding.

Working with people is amazing. You get to see them at a level of responsibility that you don’t always get to if you are just friends with them. You hold them accountable and expect them to get work done. When they don’t come through for you, you have a choice to make. At Odyssey, we have a three strike rule. Every writer is expected to write every week, but they are still human. You have to come to understand that a dedicated writer wouldn’t just leave you hanging, there will always be a reason...not only an excuse.

The Importance of it All.

I hold myself to a high standard. I try to get everything done to the best of my ability and I hate to have something less than average associated with my name or community. As Odyssey writers, we have a unique opportunity to have our voices heard in the media. As Millennial thinkers, we are stereotyped to not have stable opinions or be worthy of recognition for our thoughts. Those stereotypes are wrong, and my job is to help the world see that. I have edited many extremely well thought out articles in my time with Odyssey and I like to think that my writers have the potential to go viral with their thoughts on real world issues, each and every single one of them.