(MANAGEMENT) Downsizing: Manage This!

8-14-2013

No matter how accustomed we become to it, consolidations and layoffs produce ripple effects up and down a station corridor. No one is immune to the stress and anxiety that accompany each new wave of change and every rumor that follows. And no one is more on the frontline than the manager who has to implement and execute what, in most cases, a distant corporate headquarters has mandated.

Managing change is never easy and there is no surefire rule of thumb for successfully navigating through it. No two circumstances and no two staffs are the same. Gut instinct often comes into play. Still, there are a few general tips that can help managers manage massive changes and their staffs stay the course, weather the storm and keep on track.

1. Leave the door open, literally. Nothing causes stomach churning or feeds the rumor mill more than a manager?s closed door. While some conversations may require confidential and private meetings, try to keep them to a minimum. Nothing fosters fear more than a constantly closed door, especially if it is not the norm.

2. Be visible. Walk the hallways; visit the studios and sales offices. Stop by traffic and accounting. Your face provides a degree of comfort and stability at a crucial time. And for heaven?s sake, make sure the face you show is pleasant and natural. A grim-faced boss translates as a bad omen. It?s one thing to be serious ? especially if five people have just been let go ? but a dour face is hardly reassuring, inspiring, or motivating.

3. Communicate openly as often and as honestly as possible. Think ?damage control? because this is essentially a situation that calls for proactive management and damage control. You need to control the information being delivered, not only at the station, but in the press as well. Be honest as possible with staff. If you don?t know something, admit it. Don?t fudge, don?t dodge; explain in plain English, succinctly and clearly, what has happened, why, and what further action, if any, you expect next. Remember, ?no news? is not necessarily ?good news.? ?No news? is a rumor waiting to happen.

4. Make yourself available for one-on-one meetings with staff members. Listen to their concerns about the changes. You should already know their career goals and aspirations but, if not, now is the time to find out. It?s important to acknowledge and discuss those now. Some changes may call for a new road map to be drawn but it?s vital that you provide counsel and encouragement to valued employees that there is still room for growth and reason to stay the course.

5. Be cost conscious in all areas of operation. People have, after all, lost jobs due to cutbacks or consolidation. Now is not the time to be lavish, but this is also not the time to go anorexic. Counting paper clips at every turn in the road does not relax or relieve stress. Pizza and cold beer or soft drinks do. Find ways for your staff to bond. Bonding offers a welcome dose of camaraderie and an antidote to depressed morale. Strive to gently direct the conversation at these get-togethers in a positive direction but let the chatter flow naturally and freely.

6. Know when it?s time to shut down the negative vibes. People have a right to how they feel and need a chance to express those feelings and concerns. There comes a point, however, when it?s time to move on. If negative attitudes and whispered gossip persist once the dust has settled, a manager needs to step in and take control. Like the weather, you can?t always control the circumstances of the change. You can only try to provide an umbrella against the storm for those still on board. That means everyone has to walk together to stay dry. Those who can?t need to leave for the good of the whole.

Change is never easy and managing through change is one of the biggest challenges a manager faces. In today?s environment, it?s probably also unavoidable. Your station family, however, is looking to you for wisdom and leadership at a difficult period. Every decision may not be perfect but if you lead with openness and wisdom, chances are your team will follow, umbrella in tow.

Deborah Parenti is EVP/Radio for Radio Ink. E-mail:parenti@aol.com

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

(AUDIO) How To Manage A Format Flip

1-8-2012

When you have a cluster of five stations, there's always a possibility that one of those stations might not perform as well as the others. That was the case with Greater Media in Boston when they decided WTKK's talk format, after 13 years, had run its course. Yesterday, after a few days of stunting, Hot 96.9 The Rhythm of Boston was introduced. We spoke to Market Manager Rob Williams and asked him about everything a manager needs to prepare for when the decision to flip a format is made.

The station will lead off the day with "Pebbles" in the morning, and rhythm and dance music from today, mixed with 80s and 90s, including artists like Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Usher, and Rihanna. The station started by playing songs in a row.

View the original article here

(MANAGEMENT) How To Manage Friends After a Promotion

So after several years of proving yourself, your company finally recognizes your potential as a future leader. The opportunity for promotion, however, comes with a risk.  You have made a number of friends at work during the past few years and now you will have to manage them. I was recently reminded of this dilemma when working with a leader who had recently been promoted from an individual contributor as a lead programmer to a manager of a team of eight technicians. She was struggling with her transition from friend to manager since three of her employees were friends.

How can you make a transition from friend to manager and at the same time not lose your friends? Here are seven tips on making this transition a success:

1. Once your promotion has been announced, schedule time with each of your friends at work and outline the future guidelines for your relationship with them. No longer will you be equals in the workplace. Define what will change in your relationship with them and what won?t change. Some of the changes should include: no coffees, breaks, or lunches with work friends unless other team members are included. Potential disciplinary action if policies, procedures, or standards aren?t adhered to at work. And, you will be asking for their feedback of you as a leader, not as a friend. Things that should remain the same will include: respect for each other and what you bring to the team, and caring about each other as an employee and a friend.

2. Schedule a meeting with your new team and be transparent and honest about your friendships with co-workers.  Share with the team that your work friends understand their relationship with you at work has changed and that they will be treated just like the rest of the team members

3. It will be important to demonstrate fairness and equality for all who report to you. All policies and procedures, as well as work standards, will be adhered to by all employees and the consequences for non conformity will be the same for all. Be careful with this and don?t over compensate by interpreting the guidelines more strictly for your friends than for others on your team. This can lead to your friend quitting or asking for a transfer.

4. There will be situations such as new policies and guidelines that will cause frustration for you in your new role.  You should not share your frustrations with your employee friend.  Your company has seen potential in you as a leader and leaders don?t gripe to employees about company policy or direction. Leaders do bring their concerns to their managers by communicating the potential implications changes could have for the company.

5. Confidential company situations must stay confidential even if it impacts your friends at work. The ability to keep confidences is important in building trust and respect in an organization. How do you think team members will view you if you?re breaking company confidences? It certainly won?t make them feel comfortable in bringing their own confidential situations to you in fear that you will share them with others.

6. Be careful about your behavior in social situations where other employees are observing your behavior.  Remember you are no longer an equal but a role model. You are now a leader and having executive presence will be important to your success.

7. Ask for feedback from your friends about your ability as a leader.  The questions you should ask them should be focused on your behaviors as a leader such as communications, fairness, motivation, praise and recognition, listening etc.

All these steps require great communication skills. Focus your efforts on honing your skills in the following areas: listening, questioning, and story telling.  All of these must be performed skillfully and in a timely manner for a leader to be successful especially when managing friends.

Beth Armknecht Miller is Founder and President of Executive Velocity, a leadership development advisory firm accelerating the success of senior executives and the companies they lead. Her career spans over 30 years and includes management positions in Fortune 500 companies as well as several entrepreneurial ventures, one of which was honored as an Inc 500 winner. Visit www.executive-velocity.com or http://executivevelocityblog.com

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here

(AUDIO) How To Manage To Win

Cumulus does something very cool for its stations around the country. It's motivational at the cluster and station level and it's good for business back home in Atlanta. It's called the President's Cup and its based on 5 revenue driven criteria. Every quarter, whichever cluster has the biggest gains, receives the Cup and the company recognition that goes along with it. The team then gets to keep the actual Cup for the quarter, sort of like the Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League. Rochester (Minnesota) is the most recent cluster to win the award and we had a chance to speak to the entire management team yesterday, including Market Manager Shannon Knoepke (pictured).

What's encouraging to hear from Knoepke is that revenue was up in Q2 compared to 2010. However, making revenue gains is a lot more than getting salespeople to make more calls and fill out call sheets. It's getting your people to buy into your philosophy and execute your game plan. Knoepke has over 50 employees, including an Operations Manager who's been in the market for 27 years and a Sales Manager who's been at the station for 26 years. She says her keys to success are: having positive energy, a glass half full mentality and leading by example. Listen to our interview with Knoepke HERE.

Congratulate Shannon for her awesome achievements HERE
In the upcoming issue of Radio Ink (September 12th) we have more detail about the success the Cumulus Rochester cluster has had, including interviews with more managers. To subscribe GO HERE

Add a Comment Send This Story To A Friend

View the original article here