Beat the Clock

Carol Hudler is the president and publisher of the Fort Myers' News-Press and a vice president for Gannett Co., overseeing five Gannett-owned newspapers in Louisiana. More than a little busy, she is also the secretary for Lee County's Horizon Council, a board member of the United Way, and a member of the executive committee for the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools.

Hudler says she has learned to delegate, realizing the people around her are vital resources. "I try to spend a lot of time upfront with the people that I'm counting on to implement plans," she says. "The more time you spend critically reviewing plans, the less time you are likely to spend managing problems after the fact."

With her responsibilities for Gannett, Hudler does a lot of flying. "I'm often stuck in Atlanta till midnight," she says. "We have an intranet Web site we post projects on and we hold monthly WebEx conference-call meetings where we are all looking at the same thing. That's cut down a lot on the travel." Hudler adds that it is critical to "be there for the people who will do the work for you-even if it's just by phone as you wait for your next plane."

Like many busy businesspeople, Hudler depends on e-mail. "I know I worked before e-mail, but I don't remember how I got it all done," she says. She has multiple e-mail accounts and assigns her assistants to respond directly to the many inquiries that come into her office, relying on them to direct people to the right sources at the newspaper, listen to complaints and follow up.

"'No' is an acceptable word to say to people," advises Hudler. "Schedule renewal time. And take the time to meet with the people who can take over your workload-they can triage a lot for you if you provide them guidance."

-Katie S. Betz