Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi was once asked what his secret to being so successful over a long period of time was. Lombardi paused to think, and then said there were three things to his success formula.

1. Master the fundamentals    2. Use discipline   3. Do everything with love

If you master the fundamentals in programming and marketing, your ratings will almost always be good .  It is rarely a secret phrase or latest gimmick that earns you credit in a diary or a return visit of a PPM, instead it is consistent hard work and determination to do the right things that makes you a winner. 

Have you ever noticed how we in radio are drawn to the latest buzz word or trendy technique?  Lombardi would always bring things back to normal for his football squad at the beginning of every season, (even after a championship season) by holding up a football and saying, "Gentlemen, this is a football.”  He never lost sight of the need to consistently focus on the fundamentals of the game, from the ground up.

Discipline covers so many areas.  If you discipline yourself to do what is important, instead of the crisis of the moment, you'll have success.  What are some specific areas that need steady discipline in your environment? Your music strategy, maintaining focus on the people on your team instead of the technology, forcing communication with your people and supervisors, making sure your team is employing the fundamentals , etc. *Discipline is strength of will, forcing yourself to do what you know is important even when you don't want to do it.  It is not a type of personality, nor is discipline a license to treat people in a non-caring or cruel way.

How does doing everything in love apply to you?  Remember, this advice isn't coming from Opra, it's coming from the rough and tough Vince Lombardi! This part of the three secrets to success is more important than you may think. Here's what it means.

When a member of your team has a bad performance/airshift, it is the performance that needs to be corrected---NOT THE PERSON!  Radio people often attack the person in a way that is demeaning and degrading, thinking this is the correct way of running an operation --- nothing could be further from the truth! You need to love what you do. Your people need to love what they do.

You need to love what your people do. You need to reflect this environment with a smile on your face and leading with enthusiasm, not by trying to intimidate people, grumbling and complaining.

Radio could be a much better profession if we were to all grasp on to these three areas.

Brian is a 30 year radio veteran who has successfully served many companies over the years as Program Director, Operations Manger and VP of programming. After many years of success working for individual radio stations and clusters, Brian Joined one of the most trusted consulting firms in the country, Audience Development Group. For the last 15 years Wright has enjoyed building alliances with scores of stations in the US & Canada helping them grow in ratings and revenue. Contact Brian at brian@audiencedevelopmentgroup.com
 

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