3 Months Later: An Update on Being the Boss and Other Life Lessons

It has officially been three months since I have signed on to be the program director of my own station.  I’ll give you the short of the long of it because this "Person-In-Charge" position has been quite the roller coaster ride.

My very first day as Program Director, back in March, I showed up dressed to impress (all professional-like).  The receptionist was very kind and as we exchanged pleasantries, my boss walked by and scurried me quickly into the conference room where we sat for over three hours.  This was the part where I got my office keys and learned exactly what would be expected of me.  Mind you, the entire packet was read to me, like I was in a kindergarten reading circle, but was expected to take notes.

I chatted with the receptionist again later in the afternoon; we are about the same age and his desk is decorated with lots of famous band’s LP’s.  He told me on that day how awful things were and how he was leaving to move to another city where his famous friends live.  ON MY FIRST DAY!  The rest of the introductions were kind of a whirl wind.  The basic take away from the day is that everyone was terrified  to meet me and that my cheery disposition seemed to calm a few nerves.




I drove the hour and twenty minute drive home scanning the radio to learn all about the new competition.  Nothing but static and oldies.  Shifty and sore from sitting so long, I shuffled to my couch and just started crying.  What was I thinking?!  A solid hour and twenty minute drive one way to go to a job where I’m reporting to a man that treats his employees like they are children and don’t know anybody where in return they all clearly detest their job.

There is no fun, no drama, no cliques, no WI-FI, no pictures of any of the on air talent, no Buzzfeed, nor are there any lunches in the fridge to snoop through. This is not a radio station cluster full of loveable weirdos who try to out do each other.  There were certainly no pranks, no impromptu bar crawls after work and definitely no pow-wows in the studio. No, rather, I walked into a mountain of negativity with the responsibility of a station that has never been set up to succeed and a staff of people who have never before worked in the radio biz.

For some reason, my kind and supportive husband convinced me to give it another try.  Just get up and try again. I went, and although much less eventful, the puzzle of what I had to work with was becoming clearer. Everyone has just always been told no. Ideas, creativity, and possibility has been stifled for so long; how was I going to help everyone get to a place where their thoughts were not only welcomed, but their ideas were encouraged?

Fast forward three months later: This is still a challenge. My tactic thus far has to just ask guiding questions to help others’ come to their own conclusions. I truly believe that we are all perfectly capable of coming to our own conclusions, so asking a few guiding questions usually puts them on a path to figure out their original questions.

What is great about the position, is that I have learned a lot about being a boss:

1. You have to have some great perseverance. I could have quit after one day.  I wanted to quit after one day, but I didn’t.  I showed up and tried again.  I make mistakes, my employees make mistakes, but they are hiccups and we just have to keep going.  Creating and thriving means not quitting because this one thing didn’t work out.  If I don’t keep going, how can I expect anyone else to keep going?
2. You HAVE to learn things quickly.  Not only am I learning this brand new job position which harbors MORE responsibility than I ever thought, but I have to teach everyone else how their jobs work and why they are so important.  I’ve needed to figure out new software quickly and spin about 12 plates at the same time in order to spend more time coaching and teaching others’ in the building.  Learn your position as quickly as possible, so you can spend more time with those around you
3. Delivering bad news is difficult, but not impossible.  I may be a boss, but I also have a boss that I need to keep happy.  In order to do that, I sometimes have to say things that are shitty to hear to people with big egos.  But, I do it.  I don’t wait.  I don’t like it, but you have to rip it off like a Band-Aid.  The quicker you do it, the less pain you feel.
4. Just because you are the boss, does not mean you do all the talking.  In fact, this position has reinforced how important it is to listen to others, especially those with whom you work.  Communication is key. I never just spring something on them.  There is always a warning period. I do this because hearing them talk about how excited they are about a certain promotion that we are going to do,  or how confused they are that our music play list doesn’t have a ton of variety is only what makes me a better person in charge. Without knowing what drives them, excites them, disappoints them or frustrates them, how am I expected to create a radio station brand that they are excited about with knowing exactly what those things are.  This process is still in the early stages for me, so this is a trial-and-error period for us.  I do believe that process will never end, and it shouldn’t.  People change, I will change, our culture will change and in order to be a success, our radio brand will have to change as well.
5. Sometimes the answer has to be “Because we are getting paid to do it this way.”  When you work in an industry that harbors big egos, you have to be the one that says “just….because.”
6. Rewarding employees is the best feeling in the world!  When they succeed, YOU succeed.  Giving someone the last pair of tickets to a concert because you know how hard they are working and how much they are trying is absolutely the best part of the job.

This is not an exhaustive list about how to be a great boss or leader, rather, it is a reflection on what has been working throughout my learning process. I am very grateful for the three short months that I have held this position of “Person-In-Charge.”  It is not easy and I am far from good at it, in fact, I’m still learning. I am, however, enjoying the learning process, grateful for the challenges, and still hating the long commute.