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Monique Curry-Mims: Creating space for others to lead, contribute, and innovate

Reflections from the Lenfest Constellation News Leadership Initiative

By Monique Curry-Mims

November 19, 2024

Photo courtesy of Monique Curry-Mims

The Lenfest Constellation News Leadership Initiative launched in 2020 as a professional development fellowship supporting mid-career media professionals of color in Philadelphia. We reached out to program alumni to reflect on how their careers have evolved since participating in the program. Monique Curry-Mims is a member of the Constellation class of 2022-2023.

In 2022, I began my journey to acquire Generocity.org from Technical.ly Media. At that point, I already had a consulting business, but I had never run a media company before, and I knew very little about how to do so. Running a consultancy was relatively straightforward because my work was about meeting the needs of individual clients, and success often led to referrals and a steady stream of new business. However, taking over Generocity was a very different challenge — one that required me to think beyond my immediate clients and consider a wider audience.

Participating in the Lenfest Institute for Journalism’s Constellation News Leadership Initiative helped me realize how many moving parts are necessary to run a successful media company. I had to focus on building and retaining an audience, creating content, maintaining editorial integrity, and overseeing the business aspects of journalism. I quickly learned that to be successful, I needed a strong team and a supportive company culture to ensure that the diverse needs of our audience — made up of different groups of readers and stakeholders — were met.

I’ve always believed that if you want to do something right, you have to do it yourself. At Constellation, however, I learned the importance of collaboration and delegation — two skills that are essential to running a media company. The program made me realize that leadership is not just about personal execution, but also about empowering others to bring their expertise to the table. I also realized that in order to build a sustainable media company, I need to create space for others to lead, contribute, and innovate. This realization has also proven itself in my consulting work.

One of the most valuable aspects of the Constellation program was the one-on-one coaching. It helped me change my leadership style from worrying about every detail to being more of a collaborator and resource for my team. I began to realize that my role was not just to do the day-to-day tasks, but to create a vision for Generocity and a capacity for that vision. With this change, I felt more confident in my role as a media executive, learned how to lead with a journalistic mindset, and overcame the imposter syndrome I felt while running a news organization.

The Constellation program also provided deep insights into audience development. Prior to participating in the program, Generocity focused primarily on written articles, which are important, but limited in terms of engagement. After participating in Constellation, we realized the importance of meeting our audience where they are and engaging with them in new, dynamic ways, ultimately leading to an increased focus on video and social content. This shift helped us grow our audience and create a more vibrant community around our work.

Peer learning and collaboration at Constellation helped me forge important partnerships. I had the opportunity to meet and work closely with Dionicia Roberson, a member of my Constellation cohort who later became Generocity’s managing editor. Building relationships with like-minded individuals like Dionicia and others not only strengthened Generocity’s leadership team, but also expanded our network of collaborators.

Through group projects, peer learning, and individual coaching, Constellation gave me the tools to lead more effectively and confidently complete my acquisition of Generocity in 2023.

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