Leaving a Legacy at Work
When I was the business editor for a daily newspaper, some friends and I started a tradition. Every Friday, one of us would stop at our favorite doughnut shop on the way to work and pick up two dozen pastries to share with our colleagues. It was a delicious way to celebrate the end of another crazy week in print journalism. Later, when I was the assignment editor for the same newspaper, one of my jobs was to prepare a list of the stories that were available for each day’s edition. I would indicate which pieces were going to run on A1 and the front of the metro section, as well as the priorities for spots inside the paper. I sent this list to the staff each day, but I didn’t want it to be boring. So, as a lover of bacon, I started including a bacon- or pig-related joke or pun with each day’s email. Many of the funnies I used were real groaners—definitely in the “dad jokes” category—but my colleagues came to expect and (usually) appreciate their inclusion on the daily rundown. I left th