Houston, We Have A Problem

Uh oh

 

According to recent research, only 1 in 4 employees believe their manager gives them meaningful feedback or that the feedback helps them do a better job.

Even worse, only 21% of these employees believe their managers motivate them to do outstanding work.

Before consolidation, it was common to hear about PDs who preferred looking at Selector screens than the faces of their air talent.

Today, most PDs manage more than one station and do an air shift. Their problem is finding time to coach, even if they know how.

The best PDs offer frequent, consistent feedback that’s personalized to each individual personality on their staff. They offer specific, concrete steps to help each individual reach their goals.

Here’s 3 ideas to help you do a better job managing those who report to you:

  1. Make expectations clear and consistent so your air talent has a specific, personal picture of what success looks like.
  2. Make time in your schedule for more frequent conversations with each air talent. I always advise PDs to praise publicly and offer more critical feedback privately.
  3. Create accountability that is fair and enforceable.

Your staff can’t do what you want if you don’t let them know what that is. Offer frequent positive reinforcement for positive change to encourage the behavior you want.

And give them ways to succeed, including moving up the ladder within your own station and company.

Challenge them: Make it clear you expect them to be the best air talent on the air during their shift and help them understand how they can achieve that.

Finally, it probably doesn’t hurt to share this with your GM, even though s/he is overseeing 10 stations in two different cities and still working a list. After all, you need to know how to succeed and grow too, right?