For Different Results – Change

  CAUTION: For more predictable results, keep doing what you’re doing.

 

 

 

 

Too often, I hear employees (hosts, producers, board ops, etc) want more, expect more, and demand more, but are unwilling to change to get it. There’s an overwhelming sense of entitlement in our business from the newcomers to the veterans.

–       I want more money, but I don’t want more work.

–       I want to be on-air, but I won’t work weekends or holidays.

–       I want full-time, but I can’t work Wednesdays.

–       I want better ratings, but my show is perfect the way it is.

–       I want a job, but I’m a veteran of the business so I won’t apply or audition.

Change starts with you.

I know a sales manager who has been in his same office for 13 years and needs more and better results. So he changed. He packed up his office and moved one office over to the left. Now he has a different perspective, a little different view out his window, and his sellers have to change too – or they’ll end up in the wrong office. He has a pep in his step, sales are trending up and now others are wondering if they can change offices too. As you change, the world will change around you.

On February 8, 2013 I made an announcement to my employees that left many of them and others I know scratching their heads. I announced my resignation. I said, “I am a believer in the brands, philosophies, purpose, and the people who breathe life and personality into our products.  I believe we are positioned for success.  I also recognize we have evolved greatly in the two years I’ve been here.

As organizations evolve, their leaders need to evolve as well.   As I’ve considered where we are and the road ahead, it has become clear to me that the type of leadership needed to keep moving forward requires someone with different strengths and passions than mine.  So, with mixed emotions, I have resigned my position.”

“Why would you do that?” the collective “they” asked.

I wanted change.

This Friday is my last day. I took action, but my change is just getting started. I’m going to create new routines, patterns, and behaviors to change the opportunities and experiences in my life. The family is going on a month-long RV trip, I’m going to start taking better care of me – physically, mentally, spiritually, I’m going to take on more household responsibilities, I’m going to write more, spend more time in nature and I’ll probably be a more active networker.

All these changes in my life will lead to more change in my life, new perspectives, and new opportunities. Change isn’t easy, it doesn’t reward those who wait around, but rewards those who trust.  I have no idea what’s next for me, but I’m confident exciting, new opportunities are around the corner.

Lead, Inspire, Empower, Motivate

I had the pleasure of attending the a leadership conference last week. It’s especially cool to know that people are still encouraging radio to take risks, think big, and change the world. I know sometimes bosses go off-site to these conferences and you never hear what they did or learned. So, I would like to share a few ideas, quotes and inspirations that I took away from the day.

The following are notes I jotted down during a series of presentations. Regardless of your position, you can incorporate some or all of the concepts below to make a positive impact.

 Ask more interesting questions. Ask what hasn’t been asked before in order to get different answers. 

This is  a simple concept that applies to everyone. Whether you are trying to develop a story, find an angle to explore, solve a work efficiency issue, or having trouble working with a colleague – asking a more interesting question about whatever is in front of you will lead to a more interesting answer. This reminds me of a line from motivational speaker Tim Sanders, “Stop asking how people are doing and start asking what they are excited about.” Same concept; ask a different question, get a different answer.

 We need more crazy, off-the-wall, ridiculous ideas. Inspired from the Albert Einstein quote, “If at first an idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it.”

Wild ideas lead to interesting conversations about “what’s possible” and “What if…” This doesn’t mean you starting acting crazy, off-the-wall and ridiculous. Use your IDEAS as a launching pad to obtain more creative results on and off the air.

This reminds of what it must have been like for the first man to suggest and then eat a raw oyster. I can only imagine there wasn’t an overwhelming reaction of support and congratulations. But, depending on your tastes, it turned into a pretty good idea.

 Get out of your comfort zone. We need more interesting people in our lives. Expose yourself to new people and new experiences to challenge yourself and expand your reference points. Stop thinking so narrowly about the things you think about.

We all have our routines, favorite spots, people we interact with on a regular basis. Make a point to go new places, talk to new people and change your regular way of doing things. Collaborate with someone new.

 Take Risks. Be prepared to fail. Learn from mistakes. Focus on what needs to be better. Commit to perfection.

Risk-taking is not easy, but the key is to learn from failures, adjust, improve, and try again. Thomas Edison experimented thousands of times before perfecting the light bulb and is known for saying, “we know a thousand ways not to build a light bulb.”  

No one wins by working twice as hard. You win by fractions, inches, and moments. If you work 15 minutes extra per day on developing a skill… that’s 91 hours over the course of a year.

It’s the little things and small changes that can make all the difference. For you, this can apply to clock management, spending an extra five minutes reading the whole article to make sure you extract all the dazzling details, or spending a couple extra minutes with a listener or client when you’d rather be somewhere else.

We need more innovation. Stop watching the other guy. Stop playing catch up. New doesn’t have to mean revolutionary.

Innovation can come from you. Start innovating by asking, “I wonder if ____ is possible?” There are enough smart people in our business that if we all start trying to answer new, different and big questions innovation will be inevitable.