Pass It On

A while back, I had the opportunity to watch an interview with the late Sidney Poitier, as part of a tribute the weekend of his death. One segment of that interview really struck me and its relevance to mentoring. Few of us know that, as a young man, Mr. Poitier had poor reading skills, which worked against his dream of becoming an actor at that point in his life.

Employed as a waiter at a New York restaurant, he befriended one of the older waiters on the staff who noticed Sidney’s issue with reading and offered to work with him daily, which he did, after the restaurant closed. To see the impact that man had on Sidney, so many years later, was amazing. You could see the actor’s raw emotion during the interview. Because of this man, Sidney Poitier was able to clear his path to his calling to act and, as we know, the rest is cinematic history. All because one man took the time to share his knowledge to help another human being.

Let’s bring this concept into our industry with a couple of personal stories. I was a young programmer and DJ in tiny Vidalia, GA back in the day looking for a way to move up in the business (i.e., larger market). As we all did back in those days, we sent out scores of audition tapes to stations for job possibilities and spoke to whomever we could for advice. At one point during my time in Georgia, I decided to reach out to a couple of well-known, well-respected programmers to get feedback and a little advice. I wasn’t expecting much and what did I have to lose?

From most, I received nice letters with a few words of encouragement and advice but one, in particular, came in the form of an actual phone call. I happened to be on the air when I received a call, on our request line, from John Gehron, who, at the time, programmed one of the nation’s top 40 major powerhouses, WLS-A/Chicago. This man took the time (about 30 minutes) that day to ask questions, offer me some suggestions as to how to get better and how to plan for my move up in market size.

Around that same time, the legendary Scott Shannon traveled to Vidalia for a tennis challenge match (he was a label head at the time and we were a key small market CHR reporter). In the ride back to the radio station, I asked Scott what I needed to do to move to a bigger market. In just 30-minutes, he outlined a specific plan for me to implement immediately. It is no coincidence that, a year later, I was in Birmingham, Alabama programming a key top 40 station and heading for bigger and better things from that point forward. John Gehron and Scott Shannon took the time to share what they knew to help me with my career. Time that I’m sure was very precious to both!!!

Now – let’s bring the concept into your radio station and to YOU. The time you spend with your staff, on an individual basis, is extremely valuable and powerful, whenever you can, do it. If they want the time, give them the time. Make sure to recognize their goals and aspirations and help them get there. We are all very busy, but are we too busy to promote growth and advancement in our own building? Make it a point to set the time aside and pay attention!!

Also, at the next conference or seminar, you may get the same opportunity with an aspiring broadcaster or two. The time you take may help grow the next programming guru or on-air talent or sales star. Sidney Poitier received the benefit of mentoring to achieve his dream. Take the time to pass on what you know any time and any way you can. One can only imagine the amazing results!!!!