‘Culture Defeats Strategy’: A Great Read And Sound Philosophy

I am an avid reader about leadership, particularly from a host of sports coaches. Familiar names like John Wooden, Pat Riley, Tony Dungy, Terry Francona and Bill Parcells to name a few. I’ve learned from them all, but the one that has turned out to be my “go to” for program management coaching comes from a successful Texas high school football coach named Randy Jackson (no relation to the former “American Idol” judge). Randy has written two excellent books on establishing a positive work environment: “Culture Defeats Strategy 1 & 2.”

Both are amazing tools to help you build and maintain a strong, successful culture. With culture so top-of-mind in our industry, this has become even more crucial.

Randy defines culture as how your organization thinks, speaks and acts. He outlines the five key factors for success in building a culture:

1. The Manager/Employee Relationship – Build trust, be predictable and communicate
2. Employee Self-Awareness – What motivates them and how they adapt to succeed
3. Quality of the Training Environment – What we provide for them
4. Management of the Competitive Environment – How well logistics are managed so as to not limit training or performance
5. Support Environment – Who is in their corner in the building and out

Randy recommends starting with establishing your vision for the staff, but maintains it’s essential that the staff be part of that vision development. They need to be reminded to focus on where they are going, not what they are going through during this process.

As a leader, Randy emphasizes you must have empathy for your staff. Have a “leaders eat last” mindset.

It is important to have clear expectations and be willing to hold your staff accountable. Be ready to offer instant feedback so that changes can be made. If necessary, be prepared for the occasional conflict. Regardless, they must FEEL your passion. Most of all, Randy says you have got to have intentional time to connect. One specific quote from the book is one sitting in front of me daily: “Appreciation is the currency of success.”

A few weeks back, we saw, firsthand, some of the reasons why good, tenured people are leaving our business. The top reason for the exodus: Work environment. Over the past two pandemic years, work/life balance has become an important part of our employees’ lives. They want time with their families and significant others, but still want the ability to do their jobs completely and successfully. Management has been faced with a different employee mindset and more attention than ever to the staff’s culture.

Here are some things to consider right now:

1. What’s your station’s/cluster’s vision? Do you have one? If not, it’s time to get to work!
2. What kind of relationship do you have with your people? Be honest with yourself and find out FROM your people.
3. Do you have clear expectations for the station/cluster, and have they been communicated clearly? Ask and they will tell you if they know. If they don’t know, you obviously have more work to do here.
4. Are there plans in place for talent development in each department? If not, yes, get to work!
5. What are you doing, on a daily basis, to address the work/life balance for each employee?

You can have the best programming plan, a strong sales strategy, and the finest equipment money can buy, but without a strong culture inside your building, you have nothing. Culture = work environment!

I’ve given you the Cliffs Notes version of the two books, but I would highly suggest, if you are in any managerial position, reading both books. Easy reads, big print and very easy to grasp. Get the books here and here.

“Taking Your Radio Presence To The Next Level. Be it an artist, radio programmer or on-air talent. Coaching and mentoring down to your foundational level”

Contact me:
John Shomby
Owner/CEO Country’s Radio Coach
jshomby@countrysradiocoach.com
757-323-1460
https://countrysradiocoach.com