| “You put together the best team that you can with the players you’ve got, and replace those who aren’t good enough” –Robert Crandall – Former CEO/American Airlines Over a decade ago, the then World Champion St. Louis Cardinals made a brief run at slugger Barry Bonds to add to their potent line-up. On the field, this move would be an excellent one and would most likely rocket The Redbirds over 100 wins the next season. However, the sports voices rang loudly with opposition. Quotes such as “not worth the negative clubhouse vibe’, “we’re still living with the McGwire steroid issue” and ‘who needs Bond’s baggage” spattered across the sports section. In reality, top performers in every business carry some form of baggage. In radio, the Superstars (Stern, Bob & Tom, Bobby Bones, Jubal, etc.) all carry ‘baggage’ – if you choose to focus on it. But each of them carries the tremendous ability to MOVE audience which is rare today. The pundits scream that content is the distinct advantage radio has over custom playlists from streaming services, then we need to foster Superstars. Superstars are what some people refer to as ‘high – maintenance’, a term I’ve never understood. Passionate people have what some call ‘baggage’! Over this past Masters Weekend, during Jon Rahm’s intimate interview, he was accused as being a ‘hothead’. Rahm quickly replied – “I prefer – passionate”. Legendary programmer John Gehron once shared that one major key to his management success was treating Superstars like Superstars and mediocre performers like – well, you get it. Take a moment this week in your building, to complement a Superstar in a meeting, hallway or break room, even if they dropped some baggage on the way to the meeting. We humans tend to focus on the baggage in their backpack, but we often forget their true worth to our brand. As leaders – we owe it to our big bread winners for full attention – and appreciation. Next Up: Words |
