I knew it had to happen eventually. I kept
hearing stories of every successful radio disc jockey (I’m sorry, “on
air personality”) going through it at least once in their
career. Now it’s finally come to my house… I was forced to resign
from my job. Surprisingly, I’m not upset in the least, because I
left fighting for something that I believed in, and still do.
It all began on a Tuesday afternoon while I was
out to lunch. Our new Technical Director, “Andrew” decided to take
it upon himself to distribute a memo to all of the board operators
describing on-air mistakes and threatening that they’d better start
doing a better job or they would “be replaced with someone who
could.” They also were “no longer allowed to leave the studio for
any reason” during their shift (in other words, don't drink a lot of
fluids before coming to work). My first indication of this memo’s
existence was when I returned from lunch and was suddenly stampeded
by employees shoving the memo in my face asking what I was going to
do about it.
Before returning I had received three voice mail
messages referring to our Technical Director as an idiot, and one
voice mail from a board operator mentioning that he needed to use
the bathroom but couldn’t leave the studio due to the memo. I even
spoke with one of my employees who wanted to “personally have words
with Andrew (wink, wink).” Things were obviously getting out of hand
so I decided that the quicker I took care of this, the better off
everyone would be… especially our new Technical Director.
I finally caught up with Andrew just before five
o’clock. I explained how he had usurped my authority over the board
operators and that it wasn’t his job to reprimand… it was the
Operations Manager’s job (my job). Even if a memo were warranted
there was a much better way of going about it - without causing the
employees to envision acts of violence upon the writer. I
illuminated the need for protocols, and that Andrew had broken them.
My hope was that Andrew and I would discuss our
conversation with our Station Manager the next day and come up with
ways to more clearly define everyone’s roles at the station.
Instead, our 25-year-old Technical Director decided to run home and
call his grandpa, our station’s owner, and blame me for all of the
station’s problems.
The very next morning I was called to the
conference room to face Andrew and the owner (Andrew’s grandfather).
I was labeled a “trouble-maker,” as “having a bad attitude,” and
even “vulgar” because I used one slightly off-color word once in the
conversation with Andrew. I was described as “no longer management
material.” Never in our meeting were protocols mentioned, nor was
the fact that Andrew was not a supervisor, yet took actions as if he
were. Never did anyone bring up the fact that my authority had been
stripped from me (I was not allowed to speak in my own defense). I
had wounded the pride of Andrew with honest and much needed
criticism, thus wounding the pride of the station’s owner.
Apparently, that was the worst sin that man could ever commit in
their eyes. They offered me a demotion with a pay decrease, but even
if they had reconsidered and decided to keep me on as a manager the
damage had already been done.
Never again would my employees see me as someone
they could look up to, someone who could look out for their best
interests, or defend them if need be. They’d see a man without
authority. From that point on, Andrew would have walked all over me
simply because he knew he could get away with it and there was
nothing I could do to stop him. Recognizing that, I did one last
thing as Operations Manager to benefit the station, the employees,
and myself… I resigned.
It took only two days for the news of my demise
to spread through town, and I was offered a position with a
competing station almost immediately. My new employer knows what
happened; but he also knows what kind of manager I truly am. He knew
that he had an opportunity to bring someone on staff that would have
a goal of building morale and loyalty to his station.
I have no regrets about what I did. I have a
clear conscience about my actions. In fact, I'm no longer upset
about my departure from my former employer. I'm sure they feel they
had a reason to do what they did just as I feel I had a reason to do
what I did. We all do the best with what we have. However, I believe
that there is a lesson in this that we all can learn.
As a Station Manager or owner, if you are going
to give authority to someone in a supervisory position, respect the
authority you have given him. If you have a problem with an
employee, go to the supervisor first. If you feel that something
needs to be said to all of the air staff, work with the supervisor
in doing it. If they are worth anything, the Operations Manager or
Program Director knows that Johnny Jock is going to launch a tirade,
that James Jockey will take the discipline to heart, and that DJ
Jenny is incredibly fragile and will likely burst into tears. Do you
know how each of your staff would accept discipline? Your PD or OM
can tailor his approach to suite each person so that the maximum
benefit can come from it. If a blanket statement needs to be sent
out via memo, the OM or PD can write it in such a way that it is
firm, it gets the point across, and yet doesn’t belittle the
recipients. However, if the OM or PD cannot do these things, then
it’s time to find a new person to fill that role. But don’t
discipline the employees yourself! Once you do you will lose the
employees’ respect, the respect of your management personnel, and
the unity in those departments that keep things running smoothly.
As for you PDs and OMs that find yourselves in
this situation, choose your battles carefully… but fight them when
it is necessary. If you allow the above to happen without speaking
up, you become useless in your position. And if you find that you
cannot make an impact (as I found in my dealings with my former
employer), then do yourself, your employees, and the station a favor
and look for employment elsewhere.
Somewhere out there is a station that is looking
for someone with your management and personnel skills. They are
looking for someone that cares about their staff, wants to build
morale, and is willing to do what it takes to build a team. Wouldn’t
you much rather be working for them anyway?
