Meet a Reporter: Jordyn Holman

By Demetries Morrow

After writing about the retail and consumer side of business for six years - previously at Bloomberg - Jordyn was ready for a new challenge. Business editor Ellen Pollock suggested that she take over Corner Office, a column that highlights interviews with business leaders. By bringing her knowledge and curiosity about business to the column, Jordyn invites readers into the offices and minds of executives from a wide range of industries. She spoke with us about her interview approach, whom she turns to for advice and how the Corner Office lightning round came to be.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What inspired you to get into business reporting?
I realized I wanted to be a business reporter during my summer internship at The Chicago Sun-Times. When I went back to the University of Southern California for my senior year, I leaned into figuring out how. I had a professor, Gabriel Kahn, who used to work at The Wall Street Journal, teach me about stocks, bonds and other business fundamentals; he eventually encouraged me to apply for the Bloomberg News internship. He helped prep me for the interview process, so that's how I got on this path. I still text with him when I have important moments in my career.

How do you prepare yourself mentally when walking into a room to conduct these interviews?
The preparation for the interviews is what calms me down. I list out questions and categorize them into buckets like management main questions, business model questions, etc. I also talk to colleagues who may have covered the company or the C.E.O. in a different beat for additional context. When it's the day of the interview, I remind myself that it should be a dialogue that engages and challenges different ideas.

How do you then manage to get a C.E.O. to speak candidly?
I listen to interviews they've done on podcasts or TV, and read other profiles of them. It gives me a sense of what they have said and what stories they like to tell. It helps me recognize when they are about to get into a story they've told before. I can fill in the blanks and politely pivot to get new information.

I also realize at their level that everything can feel high-stakes. They know that their employees, investors and customers will engage with the interview, so I try to get them to a place of vulnerability so people can know who they are. I'm there to hear their story.
How do you get real answers to challenging questions?
It's the art of the follow-up. I don't expect to get the answer the first time. I may need to circle back. They may be talking about something for seven minutes and then I bring it back to my original question. It requires a lot of active listening. I also have a notebook where I'm trying to track things that I didn't hear, things I want to go back to or things that I want to clarify. It's most important for me to be myself - that's how I get the information I want.

What aspects of your column do readers gravitate toward, and what feedback do you typically see in the comments?
People love the personal stories of the C.E.O.s - the advice their mom gave, what they learned from their grandfather. I get emails about that and how that revealed something about them. We can all relate to that.

Are there any misconceptions about C.E.O.s and the corporate world that you hope to clear up with your column?
C.E.O.s don't have control over the whole system. Their job is to come up with the vision and disseminate the message they want, but it's not the truth of what's happening within the company. It becomes very important that they surround themselves with people to make sure the vision comes to life. It can be very easy to think the C.E.O. controls it all, but I hope this column helps dispel that myth.

What's the most interesting office you've been inside?
The Duolingo office. It felt like a fun manifestation of their brand. They had different words on the wall like "apple," "green," "shirt," etc. Like how you see it on the app with pops of color everywhere. It was an open floor plan, Silicon Valley vibe with lots of green but in the middle of Pittsburgh, Pa. As I was walking through it I was like, "What's happening? Is that the owl?" Yes, there was a big owl in the office.

How do you collaborate with photographers to figure out the best way to showcase the C.E.O. based on your experience and their answers?
I'm always in communication with my photo editor, Brent Murray. I'll let him know which C.E.O. I'm interviewing, where they're based and the general sense I get. This is more so in terms of where they are as a company - they're in a transformation or they're riding high. We also talk about the layout of the office and the actual space the C.E.O. works from. It's important to show the various ways that people work. For example, Chevy Humphrey, C.E.O. of Griffin Museum of Science and Industry was so animated when I first met her. She would tell stories standing up and say, "I have to show you this or I have to tell you this story." When I took a whole tour of the museum there were lights and colors everywhere. I was like, we need to have a video for this. I think it's some of the best visuals that we have, because I was able to get this information to the photo team.

How do you balance work and life with such a busy travel schedule?
I have a list of the interviews, the dates I'm going to be there. There's a lot of wear and tear that traveling does on the body. It's also the mental part of switching back and forth. I try to balance the travel with a writing week, but as with life, that can easily change. My editors, Jason Karaian and Vera Titunik, keep things light and fun but support me and help prioritize responsibilities and deadlines.

Which colleagues do you turn to for professional advice or inspiration?
In addition to my editors,Katie Rosman, a Metro reporter, has been a great resource for me. She reminds me it's part of my job to make sure I'm identifying the right people and gives advice on how I can approach the conversations with them.

How did you come up with the lightning round idea?
All credit goes to Jason Karaian, my editor. When we were thinking about how to bring the column to life more, I was thinking high-level thoughts but Jason suggested the lightning round.

I came up with a lightning round for you. Ready? Small, mid or large organization?
Oh, that's the question? This is funny. I'm going to go with mid because it's a good middle ground.

Open concept or private office?

Open concept. The jokes just fly.

Skyscraper or groundscraper?

I'm from Chicago and my dad used to work at the Sears Tower. So, skyscrapers.

Business professional or business casual?

I'm going to say business casual, but I will look more dressed up than you expect - elevated business casual.