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Out of a thousand men who are remarkable,
some for mind others for boldness or strength of will,
perhaps not one will combine in himself all those
qualities which are required to raise a person above
mediocrity in the career of a leader. (von Clausewitz)
With some exceptions many bosses are colorless captains of a company or division,
maneuvering their organization on the landscape of media without attracting much attention.
Or worse, without doing a whole lot to inspire and cultivate their people. Oh sure, there have been people like Lee Iacocca, Carly Fiorina, Jack Welch, and Steve Jobs, but they are exceptions; bright stars in the constellations of leaders. Many corporate chieftains-in or out of media-stand behind one of two philosophies: diversification or decentralization-keeping themselves out of the hot lights.
At a time when we desperately need big thinkers, big action, media seems to be going in the opposite direction. The scene from the classic Poseidon Adventure comes to mind. In his desperate attempt to convince survivors marching in a processional to certain death, Gene Hackman pleads in frustration, "You're going the wrong way!" Diversification and decentralization are pushing strategy down the ladder. Ries and Trout were sounding this alarm 20 years ago. Today we need to push the process up the ladder. "It's easy to tell whether you're above or below the line in your company. You're below the line if you can be fired for not achieving your objectives. You're above the line if you have someone you can fire for not achieving their objectives," wrote Jack Trout.
The key personal property of a management general is flexibility; not autocracy. It may not be glamorous or recognized as a virtue but no great CEO or military commander has even been successful without it. As Napoleon remarked, "The first casualty of war is the battle plan." Think about your leadership style, no matter the title. Are you flexible enough to adjust the strategy to the situation instead of trying to adjust the situation to the strategy? Too many Radio programmers do just the opposite; they start with a strategy that has worked somewhere else then assume that strategy will automatically fit the current situation.
A great part of the cascade of information we see today, PPM, market analysis, trend lines and tables, is contradictory, an even greater segment is false. In the fog of heated competition it's all too simple to lean back on a strategy from a past that doesn't care. The "let's go with what we know" siren song may be comfortable but can end in disaster. Sometimes when we hear that postulate we think it's a sign of strength; "he or she has the courage of their convictions." But beware; a stubborn inflexible posture is a sign of potential weakness, not strength. Recently in a radio cluster a savvy staff member suggested openly attacking a competitor's brand, recognizing blatant vulnerability. Yet the boss countered, "We believe in the positive approach, pushing our merits and not denigrating someone else." There are no prizes for "most magnanimous."
The best leaders we've known bring no built in biases. They seriously consider all options, listen to cogent points then shove-off with total conviction. Ironically it's this flexibility that can terrorize a competitor's camp. When the competition doesn't know when the hammer will strike, they're off balance and in a tougher place to defend what they're not prepared for.
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