What is “A Moment With”? The Women’s Business Development Center is pleased to continue with our series, “A Moment With”, where we periodically highlight some of our greatest supporters and partners, sharing their career experiences and advice. This month, we will be highlighting Jim Kirk, Publisher and Executive Editor of Crain’s Chicago Business.
Meet Jim Kirk: Jim is the Publisher and Executive Editor of Crain’s Chicago Business, one of the largest city business newspapers in the country. An award-winning journalist and veteran of the publishing industry, Jim served for over five years as the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Chicago Sun-Times. He was previously the chief of editorial operations at Crain’s Chicago Business and, prior to that, the managing editor at the Chicago News Cooperative, a non-profit news organization he helped develop with other top Chicago journalists. He has also worked in Washington, D.C., at Bloomberg News overseeing coverage of the White House, Congress, and other federal agencies.
A Lesson
We asked: Tell us about a piece of advice you received from a mentor that has helped you succeed.
Jim shared: I had a wonderful journalism teacher in high school, Jean Dally, who taught me and a generation of aspiring journalists the most important aspects of the craft: accuracy and truth. Her mantra of “being fearless’’ has been my North Star ever since.
A Turning Point
We asked: What was the biggest risk you took in your career? Did it pay off?
Jim shared: Leaving a wonderful editing position at the Chicago Tribune to run the Government Team at Bloomberg in Washington was the biggest career risk I took. It paid off handsomely, both in the areas of mentorship (working for the great Al Hunt and other talented journalists in DC) and leadership.
A Guidepost
We asked: What is your favorite quote?
Jim shared: My favorite quote is from Wendy Wasserstein: “Don’t live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable.” I have the quote on business cards, which I hand to every new employee at Crain’s Chicago Business.
Thank you, Jim for participating in “A Moment With”; we are proud to call you a loyal friend and partner of the WBDC. For more information on Jim, you can visit his LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.
