The 20th century English astronomer Fred Hoyle believed in the importance of thinking freely, without impediments.
“It seems to be characteristic of all great work, in every field, that it arises spontaneously and unpretentiously, and that its creators wear a cloak of imprecision,” Hoyle said. “The man who voyages strange seas must of necessity be a little unsure of himself. It is the man with the flashy air of knowing everything, who is always on the ball … that we should beware of.”
We often say life is a journey, and human nature frequently desires controls and certainty. This is why we examine predictive analytics before rolling out a new retail program or entering a new market.
But, as Hoyle says, it is important to embrace the unknowns of life and see them not as barriers but as entryways.
I’ve had the privilege of being CSP’s group editor for more than 12 years. I’ve been blessed with magnificent mentors and a remarkable staff. I’ve grown in confidence, knowledge and my ability to receive and listen to constructive feedback.
For more than a year, I have felt that I’ve been the fence around a group of splendid horses that are waiting to charge ahead—if only they could. More directly, there are many on the CSP editorial team whose growth could not happen until that fence was removed.
Jim Collins, in his magnum opus “Good to Great,” speaks about how the best leaders aim to be replaceable, to position gifted successors to take their place. To my great fortune, I have such a successor.
I am stepping down as editor in chief of CSP. I am excited to introduce you to a person I had the privilege of hiring more than eight years ago to steward a foodservice launch called FARE (whose annual event not only remains but has grown multifold).
Abbie Westra is one of the most engaging, encouraging and intellectually curious people you’ll find. For the past two years, she has produced our award-winning CSP Kitchen section found each month in CSP magazine. Before that, she was editor in chief of our now 3-year-old Convenience Store Products publication.
At every turn, Abbie has thrived and elevated everything she has touched. It’s time for that touch to be applied to CSP.
As for me, I feel a bit like Hoyle’s voyager about to wade uncharted seas. But in truth, I’m not traveling far at all.
It’s no secret that the media world has changed dramatically. To stay ahead of those challenges, over the past 24 months we’ve given CSP magazine an extraordinary face lift, one that makes the magazine much easier to read and more visually engaging, while producing more strategies and solutions in fewer words.
More recently, you’ve clicked onto a new CSP home page (www.cspdailynews.com) and in your inbox are reading our visually enhanced, more intuitive CSP Daily News. Based on the dramatic increase in clicks in what was already the industry’s most-read e-newsletter, you are validating these changes.
Change, as my longtime mentor and former employer Paul Reuter says, is healthy and necessary.
My new role in many ways was created because of new media. I will be working across platforms within our company’s c-store division, interfacing with print, digital, research and events. This will mean new research into areas you’ve identified as concerns and/or opportunities. It means better integrating our print, digital and core events. It means tapping the latest in technology and media to help your businesses grow in a dynamic, sometimes turbulent marketplace.
A good example of the kind of changes you can expect to see comes with our Top 101. Launched three years ago as a print product based on CSPedia, our proprietary retailer database, Top 101 is now a highly curated print and digital product that is updated and made available to you all year. Gone is the one-and-done. In its place is a year-round feature accessible through the simple click of a button.
So I am not saying goodbye. I will be talking to you as I’ve been doing for two decades. But I’ll be doing so in a new capacity amid unchartered opportunities.
More important, beginning next month you will see a new face representing the views and aspirations of our magazine. And I’m sure you’ll find plenty to like about—and plenty to discuss with—Abbie Westra, the new editor in chief of CSP magazine.
Mitch Morrison is vice president and group editor of Winsight’s Convenience Group. Reach him at mmorrison@winsightmedia.com.
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