Randy Lovely's new role

Today marked Randy Lovely's first day as the top editor at The Arizona Republic.
Lovely replaces Ward Bushee, who left the paper for a job at the San Francisco Chronicle
Lovely steps into his leadership post during one of the Republic's busiest weeks of the year. Both the Super Bowl and FBR Open are this weekend in Arizona and the presidential primaries are right around the corner.
Lovely took a minute from the craziness of his first day to share with us where he sees his newspaper headed in the future and other details about his leadership style.

What are some of your goals this year for the Republic? And what do you see as some of the biggest challenges ahead for the paper?
The good thing about my move into this role is the continuity that it brings to the organization. I have been directly involved for six years in setting the goals for the newsroom, so we will continue to work on the projects that we have outlined for ourselves. The past year was a time of great change with the creation of our Information Center (merging the online content staff into the newspaper staff) and building a team to support content for both the paper and online. That transition has gone very well, so now we can build on that foundation. My goal is to focus less on structure, process and workflow and return more energy to developing top-notch content. We have a staff that is passionate about doing good work, so now is the time to stoke that passion and clear the path for reporters to do great work.

How do you describe your leadership style? What qualities are important for a top newspaper editor to have right now in this age of newspapers?
I hope that my leadership style reflects a desire for collaboration and cooperation. I try to work from a place of respect -- respecting individual differences, respecting individual talents and respecting the incredible profession that we work in. At the center of being a good editor, first and foremost, is a passion for good stories. I hope that never goes away.
But the equation is more complex today, and good editors also need to be creative in using a variety of tools to tell those great stories -- both in print and online. It's also essential for editors today to know their readers -- we can't just force them to read us; we need to be relevant to their needs.

What is something that most people don't know about you?
For anyone who has worked with me, there aren't many secrets. I'm pretty upfront and honest. Most people are surprised to learn that I'm relatively shy. The staff only sees me in my comfort zone, where I'm easily able to express myself. But put me in a room with a lot of strangers, and I'm more likely to be the wallflower.

When you first started in journalism, did you ever dream that you would someday be leading one of the largest newspapers in the country? How has your past experiences shaped the type of editor you've become?
Never. I started as a reporter at an 8,000 circulation afternoon newspaper, so I had very humble expectations. I'm probably part of the final group of journalism students who were influenced directly by Watergate, so I had grand visions of working in Washington as a political reporter, but I saw that more as a dream than a reality. But my career has progressed nicely over the past 20 years and I have learned a great deal. At that first paper, I can remember having to help paste up the paper after I was done with my stories, so I've always had a desire to know everything about how a newspaper comes together. That curiosity has worked well for me, because I still approach my job with the assumption that I have something new to learn every day.