7-20-2012
By Buzz Knight
I just finished reading the new Clayton Christensen book entitled, "How Will You Measure Your Life?" and I wanted to pass on some observations from it that can apply to your day-to-day operating of a radio station.
As general managers, programmers, and air talent deal with having the "hard drive" in their brain crammed with lots of priorities coming at them from all directions, it's so important to make an analysis of what takes up the most space. By picking up this book now, you can begin the process with an open mind and new perspective.
Christensen is the author of seven books and is one of the world?s most influential business thinkers. He has consistently challenged his readers with his processes and logic, and this new book is no exception.
Here are some of the great insights Christensen offers up:
1. What has to prove true for this to work?
This is a vital question that radio operators need to ask as they embark on a journey. What has to prove true for my station to be number one in a target demo? What has to prove true for my station to be the number one billing station? What has to prove true for my station to take a greater share on digital revenue?
Christensen gives credit to a couple of academics, Ian Macmillan and Rita McGrath, for creating the "discovery-driven planning" process and believes that the importance of testing assumptions is a vital starting point in a process.
2. What is the job you are hired for?
Christensen takes a fascinating look at case studies like IKEA in analyzing how companies should focus their perspective on their customers' needs.
He says that companies focus too much on what they want to sell their customers rather than what those customers really need. In our radio terms, we have to frequently ask this question in terms of the job we were hired for and our listeners.
As brands can be frequently diluted in this day and age, it?s an important question to stop and ask.
3. Understand your capabilities
This may be the most important piece that relates to radio.
Christensen takes another important case study from Dell and looks at what he calls their "Greek Tragedy of Outsourcing." He exposes the danger of outsourcing and says if Dell?s leadership had realized what the outcome would be, they would have been much more hesitant?ESPECIALLY if they understood the concept of "capabilities."
Understanding what capabilities are and which of them will be critical to the future is vital.
The factors that determine what a company can and cannot do fall into three buckets: resources, processes, and priorities. In radio terms, have you analyzed the resources you have available? More importantly, have you analyzed the people on your team, their qualities, and their aptitudes? Have you considered the process that allows your team to arrive at key decisions? Have you focused on what your key priorities are to drive your success?even if it?s incremental success?
Clayton Christensen is one of our prized thinkers and he inspires and challenges us not only in our business life, but also in our personal life.
Buzz Knight is the Vice President of Program Development for Greater Media and he can be reached at bknight@greatermediaboston.com. Knight was named among ?Best Programmers? by Radio Ink Magazine in 2007 and 2010. He has served on the programming subcommittee of the National Association of Broadcasters(NAB) and is currently a member of the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) COLRAM Committee.
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