This month the MPR’s of Programming continues as we take another look at the silent M’s…Management and Morale…."Beyond the Basics." Last time I wrote that great Management leads to positive Morale, intangibles that fuel the success of any radio station. Conversely, poor Management hurts station Morale and can hinder the success of a radio station that may already master the first three "M’s".

For this look "beyond the basics," I’ve enlisted comments from four radio professionals who’ve successfully mastered the art of management. A former GM who now is a management and sales consultant, an Operations Manager who used to work for this particular GM, and two Program Directors whose stations are great examples of winning with talent and positive morale.

Managing a radio station’s personnel has usually not been one of the main criteria for becoming a Program Director or even a General Manager. Most Program Director’s have risen to this position through either their mastery of the music or being the best "jock" on the staff. General Managers have very often acquired their position’s based on their strength as great Sales Manager’s.

In both cases, the actual management of people is not necessarily the key determining factor in becoming a PD or GM. Yet, these two positions very often dictate the radio station’s management style and ultimately the morale that follows. All four of the manager’s I questioned had some type of minimal leadership experience prior to ascending to their roles as managers, but the criteria for these position’s were based on various factors.

Tony Schavietello, former GM for Lotus Communications properties in Tucson and Reno is now a management and sales consultant for Radio and the Internet. His initial management experience was outside of radio. "I had managed a local group of home electronics stores in Las Vegas in the 70’s," notes Schavietello, "but I was promoted to General Manager primarily for my sales and sales management abilities."

One of Schavietello’s former programmers is now the Operation’s Manager for KLPX and KFMA in Tucson. Larry Miles had previous experience with managing from a variety of positions prior to becoming the KLPX PD back in 1987. "I was the Production Director at KLPX in 1984 before moving on to KOME San Jose where I was responsible for overseeing the in-house call-out research department. From there I was elevated to APD/MD of KOME in 1986 before moving back to Tucson the following year to program KLPX."

Another current programmer also honed his management chops in San Jose back in the 80’s. Jim Fox programs WBYR in Ft. Wayne but his initial managing skills were put to the test as Production Director of KUFX in San Jose. "I had the opportunity to manage up to a dozen interns," said Fox. "Wanna sharpen your skills as a manager?…..take a stab at motivating a group of folks who aren’t getting paid."

"Back in 1986, when I got my first nod as a PD at WIOT in Toledo, it was simply because I was the "best jock" on the staff at the time," states Keith Hastings, award-winning PD of WLZR, Milwaukee. "It has been a long road to learn the proper people skills necessary for this job, because it was all on-the-job training, and it was never explained to me up front that that was job number one."

Many of today’s most successful radio manager’s have literally had to learn to manage people by trial and error. This is not an easy prospect. Besides managing people, you’re ultimately managing the station’s morale. What are you doing as a programmer or manager to successfully manage your radio station’s morale?

"Maintain the staff’s confidence as their leader," states Fox. "It’s impossible to lead if those following your direction aren’t convinced that you’re up to the task. You’ve also got to rise above your own personal feelings. I’ve learned to let my immediate emotional response pass before I determine how I’m going to respond to a conflict."

Hastings feels that managing morale starts with managing a station’s individuals, then building teamwork. "Always be aware of each individual’s current issues, both personally and professionally, and work hard to have your team help you create an atmosphere that’s worth getting up and coming to work to enjoy."

Certainly, the art of honest communication is a basic element in managing and creating positive morale. Almost every top management book that’s ever been written stresses the importance of strong communication as an asset in effectively managing people. How strong a priority should you put on the art of "communication" as an asset in managing people? Is the old "open door" policy an effective way of listening to your troops?

Schavietello cautions manager’s about the dangers of claiming to have an "open door" policy. "If you don’t act upon the information the staff provides you, they will stop offering it, or worse, start to tell you what they think you want to hear. If your employees confide in you about their challenges, and you don’t address them, this will quickly erode the staff’s confidence in your intelligence and trustworthiness."

"Communication is vital," according to Fox. "I make it clear to my staff that a dozen minds are better than one because no one person should be responsible for the total creative efforts of a radio station. At WBYR, I expect all the staff to contribute to the idea bank. I regularly encourage their ideas and challenge them to challenge me."

"Communication is a priority of the highest level," states Hastings. "People do not execute what they do not understand, or what hasn’t been explained to them. People best execute that which they embrace, or at least understand the importance of."

Another key element in effectively managing people is the ability to take responsibility for one’s actions…both positive and negative. Owning up to "doing the right thing" at all times is a masterful way to demonstrate integrity while gaining the respect of your troops . How important is the concept of "taking responsibility" for one’s actions in effectively managing people?

While managing radio properties in Tucson and Reno, Schavietello stressed the importance of taking responsibility as one of the key elements of his management mission statement. "As an employee of our station’s, as soon as you recognized a problem within your area, whether you caused it or just "stepped in it", you were responsible to bring it to the attention of the person who could immediately address it."

"With the exception of FCC violations," continued Schavietello, "no one ever got fired from our station’s for causing a problem as long as they immediately brought it to the attention of their supervisor and accepted responsibility for their actions."

Miles still uses this Schavietello directive as part of his management style. "Employees and managers MUST take responsibility for what they do….good or bad. I respect the individual who admits to mistakes, asks for help or guidance in correcting it, then does what’s necessary to make things work."

WHAT’S YOUR MANAGEMENT STYLE?

While the art of communication and taking responsibility are effective ways to manage morale, each manager has different ways of accomplishing these tasks. How would you describe your management style? Does it fall under the category of hands-on, laid back, or some where in the middle? How important is it to "park your ego at the door" in managing people?

Schavietello stresses accountability and flexibility as important blueprints for creating an effective management style. "Hire the best people you can who understand and are willing to conform to the standards you set up. Provide them with the best tools your budget allows. Involve them in all aspects pertaining to departmental and individual goals, then establish a system of meetings and reports that allow you to track their progress without interfering with their day-to-day efforts."

"This will vary from individual to individual," notes Schavietello, "but the manager’s job is to recognize and adjust his or her style to help them maximize their potential, not the other way around."

"Managing ego is a big part of the job, but the hardest part may be managing your own," states Schavietello. "Try rating your own performance by these virtues of leadership noted by the ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tsu in his legendary work "The Art of War": Intelligence, Trustworthiness, Humanness, Courage, and Sternness."

Finally, Schavietello offers this opinion. "If a manager understands and possesses the first three, he or she could be a good manager, the fourth, a great manager, the fifth, a master. If you lie to yourself in this assessment, you have failed on all five counts. Think about it. It’s a difficult discipline, but it’s about a way of life, not just a way of managing."

The Mission Statement

Once a manager has mastered his or her own style, creating a management mission statement for your radio station is an effective way of enlisting your employees and encouraging them to work toward the same goals. Have them participate in the process so that everyone has a say in the principles that are important to the collective group.

The single most important thing Miles learned from his former manager Schavietello was a mission statement based on "three rules" that the KLPX staff still follows today. "Employees must have an honest work ethic; they must ‘take responsibility’ for what they do…good and bad; and finally, we stress the motif ‘no egos…no attitudes’."

As a prime directive, Miles sums up the ultimate mission statement that he continues to hold as a "way of life" in the KLPX building. "We believe if you make this the best place to work in town, ultimately the best people will come here."