A couple of weeks ago I shared observations on leadership from the book, “Breakfast with Fred”, the conversations and ideas of Fred Smith, Sr, a mentor for many leaders such as Zig Ziglar, Philip Yancey, John Maxwell and my friend Steve Brown.

Little did I realize that within a couple of weeks I would be attending the funeral of the greatest leader I have ever personally known, Bud Paxson.

My friend Eric Rhoads of Radio Ink describes Bud as “the smartest man he ever met.” Bud has been described as visionary, trendsetter, renegade, and innovator. He cared not about his critics nor about obstacles. After going on a buying spree of thirteen stations in the Florida panhandle I asked him, “Bud, do you ever think about what you’re going to do with these stations when you get them?” He looked at me with that all-to-familiar sly grin and said, “That’s your problem.” ‘Nuff said!

Bud’s innovations are legendary. He created a billion dollar TV shopping industry from what he learned selling green can openers on an AM radio station. He redefined radio consolidation by challenging the one AM/one FM per market status quo, and built a television network by building distribution first – dozens of UHF television stations that few wanted – then developed the programming; the opposite of what everyone else was doing.

Bud was a complex man with an unpredictable short fuse we referred to as “Bud quakes”. He was demanding and often difficult to work for, but those who endured knew they were on the ride of their careers.

One of Bud’s greatest leadership traits was summed up in the words “Bring me the bad news!” He believed in dealing with problems head on. He said that if he didn’t know about a problem he couldn’t do anything about the problem. His attitude set the tone for a culture of candor among his closest advisors, so much so that Alan Mason and I would murmer, “I can’t believe he’s saying THAT to Bud Paxson!”

Since my days of working for Bud I’ve seen numerous instances where people were hesitant to speak truth to leadership for fear of repercussion. Yes, even in Christian organizations. I’ve seen managers visit candidly with each other about their challenges but then remain muted in front of the big guy, the very person who could do something about it. Trust is lacking, and the organization suffers.

Fred Smith said, “A leader will take counsel from his people before he takes action but will act on what he sees as right. He has trained himself out of the fear of making mistakes.”

Everything about Bud Paxson was big. His 6’ 6″ frame, his booming radio voice, his philanthropy, and his public demonstrations of his Christian faith through the founding of The Worship Network and frequent keynote speaking opportunities.

Notorious to some, a champion to others. Bud Paxson was never too big to lose sight that any organization is only as good as its ability to speak truth to leadership.

*Pictured are my close friends and business partners Alan Mason and David Sams during our pilgrimage last summer to let Bud know how much he impacted our careers and lives.

“Daddy, watch this!”

“Momma, watch this!”

Our desire to be known has reached new dimensions via social media. People who study such things say that Selfies make up almost one-third of all photos taken by people aged 18-24.

I heard a comedian recently ask, “When was the last time you were in a picture that someone else actually took?”

A recent Fancy Gizmo trade show featured the latest contribution to our self-absorption – a pole that extends to allow Selfies from several feet away! I reckon’ that we’ll soon be yelling at our kids, “Don’t run in the house with your Selfie stick!”

It’s one thing to be self-absorbed as a pimply-faced adolescent, it’s quite another to be self absorbed as a radio station…

News bulletin! It’s not about us.

My talented friend Brant Hansen recently posted some news about the latest stations to carry his syndicated radio show. You’d think his fans would be celebrating! After all, they are the ones fanatical enough to have signed up on his fan page, and instead their reactions are…

Mikayla: “Too bad it’s not in Central Texas.”

Lisa: “I just know y’all are gonna come to Mississippi… Right?”

Diane: “But still no Ohio…”

Rachel: “No Texas yet?”

No responses like “way to go, Brant”. No “you’re doing a great job!” No “we’re out here rootin’ for ya!”

They don’t care about Brant’s syndication, charming guy that he is, except for how his show connects to their lives! And none of that matters if they can’t even hear his show. In other words to the listener IT’S ALL ABOUT THEM! And they’re right!

That’s the problem with the Radio Selfie. It’s all about us. It’s all about the station. And it’s epidemic in our little radio world.

Deejays that talk incessantly about things that happened in their lives that listeners can’t relate to. Newscasts with stories that sound newsy but aren’t relevant. Stations that position themselves with mindless slogans that are all about the station, not about what is meaningful to the listener.*

Radio Selfies are really about ego, and John Maxwell addresses that with…

“Dear Speaker:

Your ego has become a wall between yourself and me. You’re not really concerned about me, are you? You’re mostly concerned about whether or not this speech is really working … about whether or not you’re doing a good job. You’re really afraid that I will not applaud, aren’t you? You’re afraid that I won’t laugh at your jokes or cry over your emotional anecdotes. You are so caught up in the issue of how I am going to receive your speech, you haven’t thought much about me at all. I might have loved you, but you are so caught up in self-love that mine is really unnecessary.

“If I don’t give you my attention it’s because I feel so unnecessary here. When I see you at the microphone, I see Narcissus at his mirror … Is your tie straight? Is your hair straight? Is your deportment impeccable? Is your phraseology perfect? You seem in control of everything but your audience. You see everything so well [except] us. This blindness to us, I’m afraid, has made us deaf to you.

“We must go now. Sorry. Call us sometime later. We’ll come back to you … when you’re real enough to see us … after your dreams have been shattered … after your heart has been broken … after your arrogance has reckoned with despair. Then there will be room for all of us in your world. Then you won’t care if we applaud your brilliance. You’ll be one of us. Then you will tear down the ego wall and use those very stones to build a bridge of warm relationship. We’ll meet you on that bridge. We’ll hear you then. All speakers are joyously understood when they reach with understanding.”

– Your Audience

*(My all-time favorite bad radio slogan is “Not What You Think!” This positioning line assumes two things of the listener: 1) That they think anything at all about the station, and 2) that it’s WRONG!)

The beginning of a new year seems to me to be a good time to consider how we internalize the values in our organizations.

Andy Stanley suggests, “Just start celebrating what you value. People will value what you celebrate, and they will celebrate what you value.”

I’ve recently been reading, “Breakfast with Fred“, the conversations and ideas of Fred Smith, Sr, a mentor for many leaders such as Zig Ziglar, Philip Yancey, John Maxwell and my friend Steve Brown.

“When Fred was in his early twenties, he visited a cemetery and asked himself what he would want the epitaph on his tombstone to read. It was at that moment he chose the phrase that would set his life direction: ‘He stretched others.'”

That stretching led Fred to value conversations and the sharing of insights and wisdom. So much so that the “Breakfast with Fred” concept evolved as his health deteriorated as his breakfast meetings with a few moved online for many to read.

What does your organization value?

My friend Ken Blanchard, author of more than 30 best sellers including “One Minute Manager“, begins every workday with a personal message to go into the voice mail of hundreds of his staff and associates. I’ve actually been with him as he shared his morning message.

Why does he go to such trouble? Because he values encouragement and teamwork.

The hallways at most Christian radio stations are full of pictures of musicians, nicely framed gold records, and maybe a glossy photo of a deejay or two.

The walls at KSBJ in Houston are covered with statements of vision, purpose, and what they believe.

It’s a new year! Maybe it is time to celebrate what you value!

The urgency of the day makes it difficult to think about tomorrow. And yet, the end of another year can be that time when we ponder our lives, our own mortality, and thanks to George Bailey, whether our lives are making a difference!

“What you are going to be tomorrow you are becoming today.” John Maxwell

I’m told that the most common New Year’s resolutions are about quitting smoking, losing weight, and starting a regular exercise routine. Maybe these concepts that can be applied to help make your radio station healthier.

Stop smoking!

We know it is an unhealthy habit but clogging up your radio station’s arteries with bad programming can be addictive, as well. We justify by saying we’ve always done it that way, or that a donor would complain if we stopped, or we can’t get the air talent to do their show prep, but we know deep down our station would be healthier if only good stuff was flowing through our programming veins.

Lose weight!

Most stations have weight they can shed as well; weight made up of programming that doesn’t meet the primary needs of why people listen. The discipline of losing weight isn’t much fun, but the benefits are tremendous!

Exercise!

Flabby areas of your programming can be avoided with regular exercise. When you add a promotion, take away a promotion. When you add a programming feature, take another away. When you add a song, you can stay slim and trim by taking away another song.

But beware! Just like your chain-smoking friend who knows better but still doesn’t quit, change can be difficult even if that change is for good.

“Change brings new choices that create uncertainty. Think of how in an unfamiliar place you gravitate toward a familiar face… the most familiar place is always the status quo.” ~”Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard”, Chip and Dan Heath

I was channel surfing the other day and I stopped on the movie “Steel Magnolias”.

There’s the river!

“Steel Magnolias” is the story of a close-knit circle of friends who lives come together at Truvy’s Beauty Parlor in a small town in Louisiana.

I used to ride my bicycle down that street!

The movie stars Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah and Olympia Dukakis.

That’s the old McLung’s Drugstore!

It’s a clever movie and won some awards, but that’s not why it caught my eye.

You see, Steel Magnolias was actually filmed in the town where I lived during six of my Wonder Years. The man who wrote the original play went to high school with my brothers and lived one street over.

Advertising guru Roy Williams says, “People will be more interested in your home movies if they are in them.”

You watch a movie differently when it is based in a place you’ve lived a part of your life.

You listen to a radio station differently when its based on the things your life is about.