When we defend our position on a controversial subject, exactly what are we defending? We spend so much time justifying the past and an inordinate amount of time defending the present. We sometimes hear someone defending the future, as if we can divine what will happen in 2022.
We also cling to the catchall of consistency: “We just have to be more consistent around here”. Turns out consistency may simply be a false sense of attachment to a past that doesn’t care. Regardless with few exceptions, our listeners usually don’t care about our internal machinations. But listeners and clients DO care about working with someone who can accurately sort out what was, what is, and “where it’s all heading?”
So when you’re facing a crisis do you whisper to yourself like, “we’ve had it now!” or instead, “this is a winnable challenge!” From today’s contentious political cage match to our own daily business routine, there’s no shortage of people who will practice the “Chicken LittleDoctrine” pointing to a sky about to plummet. Had they simply shot the Chicken, “Chicken Little” could have been a very short story.
Sometimes it seems there’s no shortage of people eager to rearrange the facts to preserve their inflexible position on just about anything; seeing the world as they believe it to be. Countless lobbyists in DC make a ton, helping oligopolies fight the inevitable by seeking their support. There are non-profits that have long-since lost a reason for their existence, yet there they are, fighting for more stage-time. As for Radio, multitudes of listeners still love our personalities, yet our top industry publications fairly and accurately list revered personalities boxing up their offices…going where?
The secret to becoming an indispensible leader lies in your ability to untangle the truth—no matter how unpopular—helping people visualize the threads of the future; for them, for their company and for their listeners.
- Where should you be twelve months from now?
- Where are you today?
- What are the real barriers to your success in this measured moment?
- Do you have the right people in the right place and the wherewithal to meet your objective?
While slinging the “next big thing” rumor around the halls may buy management some time, it’s better to attack and untangle what’s not working this week. Sometimes the pace is dangerously slow. Come to speed and purpose Mario Andretti had it right: “If you have everything under control, you’re not going fast enough!”
In weekly conversations with talent and programming people we’re sometimes reminded the fastest time in our life is “real time” (a phrase we use casually in 2021). It has a cunningly simple meaning. Yet not long ago, all time was “real time!” We’ve even given old stuff, new names: retronyms like “snail mail” or “acoustic guitars.” Fair to say, the creative universe wasn’t built for excessive acceleration; today it’s required disposition!
