A Lesson In Leadership From An Unlikely Source

It is common knowledge that my hometown is Philadelphia and that I bleed the colors of each of the city’s professional sports teams. So, please indulge me as I highlight one of those teams and how we can learn some leadership lessons from them.

You may have guessed that I’m talking about Major League Baseball’s Philadelphia Phillies, who several weeks back earned an unlikely spot in the 2022 World Series. There are so many parallels that can be drawn between a baseball team and a radio station. You have your big stars, your power hitters, so to speak, in your morning and afternoon shows (syndicated or local). You have your “position” players – middays and nights (local and voice tracked), and you have your bench – weekend/fill-in talent (in or out of market). No matter how few or how many, it’s still made up of a TEAM of air talent. As their leader, it is up to you to have them gel daily as a team.

What can we learn from this group of baseballers from Philly, a team made up of some premiere power hitters, including a two-time league MVP, and heralded young upstarts?

1. Culture Means Everything
   After a very dismal start, team ownership made a managerial change, noting that the culture in the clubhouse had to change. Their current leader -- a fiery, emotional ex-major leaguer with past success at managing -- had a hard time getting this team to play together. The replacement? A quiet, reserved career coach. The exact opposite. A coach known for nurturing and spending quality time with his players. The team and culture changed overnight. The bottom-line result? An eight-game winning streak, and then on to the best record in the National League from that point until season’s end.
2. Everyone had a defined role
   With the previous manager, roles were being redefined every day. Players were confused and lacked the necessary confidence to compete on a regular basis. Current management defined each player’s role, with the assistance of the players, and let them play on each day with that in mind. The lesson here is to be careful how much talent “molding” you do versus talent COACHING. Allow for mistakes and learn from them. Know your talent let them be who they are.
3. Belief and Trust in Each Other
   If you listen to any interviews with any of the players, especially over the past few weeks, you will hear two words repeatedly – belief and trust. They all believed in their individual abilities and abilities as a team, and they had enough trust in each other to know what it took to win consistently. This attitude started at the top. Not a lot of questioning, not a lot of second-guessing. Management believed in each player and trusted that they would do their best under any circumstances. Believe in your talent’s ability to perform, and trust in their split-second on-air decision-making. If you build that trust when you meet with them regularly, it will come back to you 100% - guaranteed!
4. Everyone understood the goal
   For the Phillies and their new manager, it was winning the next game and, when they got into the playoffs, it was winning the next game and going to the World Series. Simple but effective if communicated daily and often. You see and hear this time and time again, but it’s worth repeating: Communicate your vision for the station until the staff knows it better than you do. Always make them a part of the process and you will have everyone on the same page quickly.

Whether the Phillies win the World Series or not is NOT the point here. It is how they got there considering how unlikely that was just a month ago. They didn’t let minor setbacks stop them. They didn’t let naysayers block them. They believed and trusted in each other. They have been a team to the end. How’s your TEAM doing?

“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