My editor's credo (or how to avoid becoming Miranda Priestly)

I'm going to guess that most of you have seen The Devil Wears Prada. If you haven't and you're a student journalist (or a Stanley Tucci fan), I highly recommend the movie. It follows the comical mishaps of Andy (a recent college graduate turned journalist) who is hired as the newest assistant to Miranda Priestly, Editor-in-Chief of the fashion magazine Runway. She's a formidable Cruella DeVille of the publishing industry. She snubs her co-workers, abuses her executive power ("Is there some reason my coffee isn't here? Has she died?"), and has everyone at the office scrambling in fear when she makes her entrance in the morning.

So who wants to be a Miranda Priestly? The answer is no one (unless, I guess, you're Anna Wintour). So how do we emulate the qualities of a good leader? How do we become the best editor we can be?

My editor's credo is this: Uphold the integrity and original vision of the publication. Encourage and coach all writers and members of contributing staff. Strive for editorial perfection in  areas of syntax, grammar, punctuation, morality, and content. Stand behind your executive decisions, but listen to the voices of your readership.

...Or else, transform into a bossy, power-hungry Meryl Streep! And who wants that?