You’re Hired!  You’re Perfect!  Now Change.

I was on the phone recently with a major market morning show. After 5 years in a top 20 market, they had been wooed away to do mornings in a top-10 market.  egotiations had gone on for eeks, but when they and their high-profile agent got done, they had control of their staff, their own studio, and even a discretionary budget for extra spending.  This was it, the holy grail of radio:  The high-paying, top-10 market 5 year no-cut dream deal.

No sooner did they arrive at this great job, however, when in walked the Program Director with the research. "Our research says people LOVE our music-- you have to play at least 8 songs an hour in morning drive so they know we're a music station. And here are your giveaways-- one an hour. And I'd like you to keep the producer from the old show on-- he's great.  I’ll see you after your show every day for the next two weeks for airchecks." And he walked out.

"What do we do?" they asked, "We want to be nice. But the producer's just OK, and the music and contests and all the other crap means we won't sound anything like what we did when they hired us.  And if we’re meeting with the PD every day, when do we prep?"  Their instinct was to just go along, hoping things would get better over the next few months.

This is a variation on a familiar theme. They hire you because you’re different, but when you get there, they want you to be… the same!  And your problem becomes this:  The time and mental energy it takes to “try it their way” can be distracting, demoralizing, and prevent you from starting out with a bang.  If you try too hard to be “nice” little by little, your accommodations over time become a sort of death by 1000 cuts.  One morning you awake screaming, locked in to a set of formatics and restrictions you didn’t really intend.

This doesn’t happen through any malicious intent on the part of your new employers.  It’s human nature.  Even though you’ve been hired to be different, you’re working with  the people who CREATED the "same old same old." Even thought they want you, they also want to be comfortable. They don’t know you well enough to know how you work, and they only know how to work their way.  They probably don't even realize what they're doing to you, the artist who now has to put him or herself out there and be brilliant.

Fortunately, there are some principled, non-destructive ways to keep your show on track and growing over time.  Try this handy checklist:

1) OWN YOUR POSITION. They hired you because they want you. They gave you this shot because they wanted your best work. Your duty is to what they really want, not what they're comfortable with.   Know, feel in your gut, that they want the real you.  And vow to deliver.

2) LISTEN to their concerns, without agreeing or disagreeing. It's your show. You can (and should) consider what they ask seriously. But you don't have to do it unless it works for you. So ask questions: Why do you want me to play 8 songs? Did it work for the last show? What are you worried will happen if we play fewer? Take a few notes. Think over what they said.  Then:

3)  LEAD.  Assume that you are in charge.  Then act like a leader.  Assert your right to be the final arbiter of what goes on the air.  Show your employers and your team that you have the internal confidence you need to take creative risks and win.  Listen, but don’t back down when you know you’re right.  You’ve succeeded because you’re good.  Now help others help you by taking responsibility for your show’s success.

4)  EDUCATE.  Think about, then communicate your “way” of doing things.  Think about who your target audience is, and why they come to you in the morning.  What do they expect?  How do you take care of them?  It helps to write this “brand definition” on paper.  Demonstrating the care and thought you put into your work helps others feel comfortable, and shows them how to help you.

5) ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS, REASSURE THEIR FEARS. They hired you because you're the expert. Frequently, management's concerns are legitimate. But if they knew exactly how to address them, they wouldn't need you. Provide your own solutions to these needs...solutions that let you be you, and still work for them. And reassure them on their fears without letting them become your fears. (see rule 1)

6) NEVER ACT AGAINST YOUR INSTINCTS OR PERSONALITY. If you're being asked to do something challenging, that's great. You've got an excellent program director. But if you're being asked to do things that are wrong, if your every instinct screams "This isn't right for me!"-- don't do it. They hired YOU for a reason. Becoming somebody else does them, and you, a disservice.

7) WHEN YOU WIN, THEY WIN. Success will relieve their fears. Success will make you and them look brilliant. You owe them, ethically and contractually, your best effort to succeed. Don't let them derail you out of ignorance or fear. They hired you for a reason-- see rule 1 again!

Stockman’s Personality Branding Blog is here:  www.customproductions.tv/blog.  Steve has helped brand and chart career paths for national entertainment personalities including Ryan Seacrest, Bob Rivers, Paul & Young Ron, Gene & Julie, and Lex & Terry and many others.  Reach him at 310-393-4144, or steve@customproductions.tv