Telling...or asking....

I had a good visit with one of our PD's today.  Part of our conversation was about growing the people we work with to be the best they can be.  We wondered about the most effective ways to engage and direct them in the things we do together. 

That lead us to this.

How do we feel when we are told to do something?   In many cases we feel like saying "I'm not gonna' do it".  We rationalize, we debate, we deflect, and the conversation becomes about winning and losing.  My way or your way.  "I TOLD YOU TO DO IT"!!

Now how do we feel about the same thing when we are asked to do it?  I'm not talking about the condescending contrived, calculated ask.  Sincerity is important.  "I really need your help with this, you'll be perfect for the job".  Almost all of us would say...."OK, I'm in".

The choice to ask or tell, will sometimes, make all the difference in the world.

When it's hard to talk...

From time to time, every supervisor is put into a position where they need to have a difficult conversation with an employee, and the reverse is true as well. Employees find themselves in situations where a less than comfortable conversation has to happen with the boss.

It's often at this point where emotions and nerves start to get in the way.  We play the conversations out in our minds before they happen and we see the worst case scenarios.  We envision the other person getting furious, we see ourselves losing our cool, and the whole situation will go from uncomfortable to disasterous.

Perhaps that happens because we are focusing on the emotions more than the issues.  How different would the conversation be if it centered on the things we are trying to accomplish together rather than how we feel.  A few scattered thoughts...

• It takes maturity and effort to focus on issues rather than feelings.  So don't expect it to be easy. 
• Remember that the conversation is not about winning and losing.  It's not a debate.  It's about doing the right thing.
• There is often more than one right answer in every situation. Just because the answer isn't yours, doesn't mean it's wrong. 
• You can only control your own emotions and behaviour.  You can't do that for the others involved. Don't even try.  
• Keep the conversation on one topic. Don't bring a bunch of other issues and baggage into it. That's not fair.   One thing at a time. 

For some the inability to follow leadership is the biggest single struggle of their career.  For others, the failure to effectively lead is the limiting issue.   And one side seems to always blame the other.  At the end of the day, if we focus on our goals and targets, rather than who wins or loses we'll be moving forward.  

That's what's most important. 

Vive la Difference

I've spent some time recently thinking about the many different types of people we work with every day. Some are self conscious and shy, while others are confident and boisterous. Some are very mainstream, and others march to the beat of their own drum. Some have lots of experience and talent, and others are just starting out.

To quote Dr. Seuss, “Black fish, blue fish, old fish, new fish”, we have them all, and they all deserve respect. I'm not sure they always get it.

Some are laughed at behind their backs or chewed up in a rumor mill fueled more by opinion than fact. Some are mocked because their talent hasn't fully blossomed yet. Some are left out because they are different.

In many places today is “Anti-Bullying Day” at the local schools. The kids are dressed in pink and taking a stand. The lessons of respect and tolerance are being taught.

As leaders, we need to emulate that same attitude. The kids have it right, and as another great writer once said, “And a little child shall lead them”.

Playin' in the Band

In our little corner of the world this is the week of the annual Moose Jaw Band and Choral Festival.  Here is this mornings performance of the Grade 6 band from Sunningdale doing "Ode to Joy".  Ludwig never sounded so good!!

Jake is on bass drum.  I asked him if Joy was a nice girl and if she really deserved her own "ode".  He turned and walked away, shaking his head.

It's Friday!!

Paul Harvey used to utter these marvelous words at the dawn of each weekend.  They brought hope, happiness, and the promise of boundless fun.  As we roll into another weekend, a few more thoughts on what "It's Friday" means.....

• Weekends are like rainbows.  They look great from a distance but disappear when you get close to them.
• Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday.
• Middle age is when you sit home on a Friday night, and when the phone rings, you hope it's not for you.
• Give a man a fish and he has food for a day.  Teach a man to fish and he can be busy and entire weekend.

It's Friday!!

Required Viewing

For folks in the media, there are only a handful of movies that would be considered "gotta' see".  In no particular order, here is my list.

#5. "Talk To Me". Don Cheadle as Washington DC DJ Petey Greene.  An ex-con who cons his way into radio and becomes a star. True story too.

#4. "Private Parts". The career of Howard Stern on film, starring Howard.  Surprisingly good.

#3. "Pirate Radio". The story of those jolly buggers who made radio on ships offshore England in the 60's. The way the pushed the buttons of the BBC and government are legendary. Starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

#2. "Good Morning Vietnam". Pretty hard not to have this Robin Williams Classic on the list.  Some really funny dialogue and a great performance by Forest Whitaker.

#1. "Almost Famous".  A Golden Globe winner and a very fun look at music and culture in the 70's.  Funny, sad, inspiring.....and a great soundtrack.

And one bonus movie. The film "FM" starring Michael Brandon.  Not a 5 star offering, but all about radio and with another bunch of great tunes from Steely Dan, Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffett and a host of others.

Leaders

I've long been a fan of leadership.  I've read about it, thought about it, talked about it, and written about it.  Yet there are still many times I find it hard to define what it is about people that makes them the sort of folks you want to get behind.  The kind of people you want to follow.

This little chunk of brilliance making the rounds on Facebook this week reminded me not to over think it. 

Cooking lessons.

I really love to cook. There's something about the whole process that I find completely satisfying.  Some guys work on cars, some guys build stuff in their garage, I cook.

Something I've discovered is that with only a few exceptions, it's more fun to cook without a recipe.  The challenge of finding the proper balance is what I really like. A little of this, a touch of that, a pinch of something else, will either lead to something very good, or something you don't want to talk about.

Two things I've learned.  One; once you've put too much of any one thing in its very hard to get the balance back.  And two; the end result is an improvement of all the single things that went into the dish. The sum is greater than its parts.

Control. Balance. The harmony of elements.

There are a lot of things we do that demand those same things in order to be good.

A Video History of the American Radio Personality!

Memories....

Hey if you have a few minutes this weekend this is TOTALLY worth a look.  For some, an insight into how things use to be, and a reminder of the "glory days" for others.

Click here for the memories.

Family Day Fun

Hope everyone had fun on the Family Day weekend.  For most of us, the weather was nice and warm, and that meant a chance to get outside and play around for the first time in a while.  Here is a bit of the fun we had.

We also got a chance to take in a Moose Jaw Warrior game, and then head out for pizza at the world famous "Houston Pizza".  Houston Pizza is known far and wide for having some of the best pizza on the prairies and they didn't disappoint.  Thick, meaty, great sauce, outstanding crust....it was everything it was suppose to be and more.  The decor was nice, and the service was fast, friendly and warm.

But, the restaurant dropped the ball on one thing.  The music they played over the house system.  It was too loud and upbeat.  Essentially, they were rocking a Hot CHR station pumping out the hits.  So picture a restaurant full of families (and in some case retired folks, this is after all Moose Jaw) wanting to relive the fun the family day weekend, shouting over hip-hop.

Wrong music.  Wrong volume.

It's an example of how having just one thing out of place can color an experience and make it less than it might have been.

Imagine this story in the context of our radio stations and portals.

The Next Great Olympic Sport

I've watched, played in, and loved sports all my life.  But this is awesome.  Click here for the next generation of sport.

The King of Content

Last night I hosted an event put on by our local Humane Society.  It was called "Kisses for Kritters with a Tribute to the King".  The tribute, was provided by a very talented guy named Rory Allen.

It was really fun to watch Rory perform.  He's a terrific singer, he picks great material, and above all, he "gets" his audience. 

Here is what I mean.  He understands why these folks came to his show, and he delivers on their expectations.  They came to relive all the familiar songs of Elvis, so he sings them.  They came to remember the sex appeal of Elvis, so he dresses the part, walks through the crowd, holds the hands of the ladies, and sings love songs while looking into their eyes.  They came for memories, so he shares stories about the songs and movies of Elvis.  They came to laugh, so he tells funny, self deprecating things about himself.  They came to support the cause of the Humane Society, so he talks about his pets.  They came to relax, so he doesn't take himself too seriously.

As I sat and watched last night, I couldn't think of one thing he was missing.  He crafted his content with his audience in mind and totally played to their expectations.

That's what great media is all about.

As I write this, we are into hour thirty six of the Super Bowl pre-game show.  The only longer things on television are election nights and Grammy acceptance speeches.  And the only things more talked about than the game, are the commercials.

We can learn a little something from these.

It's quite likely that advertisers, and the agencies that make these commercials, have lost sight of the goal of selling stuff for the client.   They have become so focused on being clever and entertaining, they are missing the need to motivate consumers into action.
 
I wonder if we don't suffer from a similar loss of focus sometimes.

As we create content for our medias, is it about our audience and our stated goal of serving them with local stories and information, or are we parroting pop culture and talking about the things that interest us? 

Further, are we busying ourselves with processes and procedures, that keep us behind our computers and desks, when we should be out gathering content for presentation back to the audience?

Anyway....go Broncos!!

A Pep Talk

If you're reading this now it means you survived Blue Monday this past week.  Some real smart guys gave it that name because it's a Monday in the middle of winter where we have less sunlight than we need, Christmas is over, spring is a long way off....yadda, yadda, yadda.  Simply put, more of us are in the dumps that usual.  Blue Monday.

Watch this every Monday morning.  Your Blue Mondays will be a little less blue.

CLICK HERE

I was reminded just a day or two ago by my friend Jim that I haven't blogged in a couple of years.  I don't know how, and I don't know why, but it just sort of slipped away.  I told Jim how much I enjoyed blogging and said that I'd start again.  So here goes.  Don't expect anything earth shaking or game changing.  Just the opinions and perspectives of a guy who's been blessed to be in media for a long time. 

We just got back from a family vacation to Disneyland last night, and something cool happened on the first leg home from LA to Calgary.  A guy named Gregg Saretsky was on the flight.  He's the CEO of West Jet. 

He did a few interesting things.  West Jet has "Plus Seats" that give you a little extra leg room and wider seats.  He didn't sit in one of those.  He was in row six.  He did the pre-flight announcements, worked the refreshment cart handing out drinks and snacks, picked up the empty cups on approach, took visitors and questions during the flight, and was there to say goodbye with the rest of the flight crew when we all got off the plane. 

He didn't need to do any of this.  He could have just sat quietly, done his email, and been another guy in a jacket and tie heading home.  But he didn't do that.  He walked the walk.  He lead from the front.  

In a way, this is exactly what you would expect from the West Jet culture isn't it?