Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a story beloved by millions. Like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Dr, Seuss told a tale of a sour Christmas-hating man who achieves forgiveness and redemption even after his many bad deeds. The story was told in a way small children understand. For me, it also explained why people do the bad things they do; why goodness often is the end result of badness.

It did NOT explain why some still can only mistrust even as they stare into the faces of those who wish to help them.

So, with deference to the author for I am no poet, MBMI now presents a story of one broadcaster’s quest for redemption in the eyes of his employees, and the hard learned truth that life goes on.

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Far from the violence we saw last week, recently one of our teams watched a petty office issue between two employees gather steam until the boiler was about to burst. Just then, the owner of the business overheard the shouting and stepped into the discussion. He asked both parties to join us in his office.

He looked at the men and said, “Guys, what I just saw was unnecessary and unprofessional. It could ruin one of your careers, and I like both of you, so please let me share a story while you guys cool down a bit.” He gave them bottled water from his office fridge, handing both bottles to the man closest to him, to force him to offer the remaining bottle to his co-worker.  (more…)

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk to another candidate for MBMI’s Career Rehab program. The program is more of a study course, really, than it is anything else. Participants learn how to evaluate themselves, play to their strengths and weaknesses, interview, and apply skills they may not even have known they possessed, to new or better positions.

Unfortunately, regardless of all the stories of sunshine and roses that we hear each month from the government, radio and television broadcast jobs are becoming increasingly more difficult to acquire and maintain. Long time veterans, people with marquis names, are being put out to pasture. Often these are people for whom broadcasting was a lifelong career. Now, at ages that apparently exceed the tolerance threshold of some Boards of Directors, these pros are, as Joel Denver used to say, “On the Loose.”

A pity.

A shame.

A situation that borders on age discrimination.

But NOT the insurmountable and paralyzing event that some newly unemployed victims make it out to be.

We have discussed this topic in the past, but the relevancy of it makes it another discussion worthwhile.

So, if you fall into this category, or any other in which you recently have found yourself without benefit of employment, or if you think that you can hear the train coming around the bend but you can’t quite yet see the headlight, MBMI offers you

The Top Ten Steps to Take When the Employment Reaper Pays A Visit:

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Of MBMI’s many clients, one stands out. This client is owned by a top-notch company that is known to all. It employs first tier “name” managers, and boasts volumes of best practices and key performance indices.

This client stands out for another, less favorable, reason: Its employees don’t feel important. That is where we encountered the problem and where your organization can benefit from what we observed.

We frequently have pointed out in our blog posts that employees need to possess a clear understanding of the objectives of any mission. They need to hear and believe that their contributions are necessary and appreciated. In the case of this particular organization, though, the employees suffer from what they think is a lack of appreciation. It isn’t. The employees are greatly appreciated and, for the most part, compensated according to skill levels. These employees suffer from a lack of communication. The inability of this company’s senior staff to communicate to frontline supervisors is as startling as it is remarkable. What makes this situation sadder and more serious is that that senior management doesn’t even communicate within its own ranks. The vacuum of meaningful manager-to-subordinate feedback is obvious, and we have raised warning flags about this issue at every level of the company in the hope of correcting the problem before it is too late.

“Too late?” you ask. Yes. We have seen this movie before and the ending always makes us cry. (more…)

Since MBMI was founded in 2010, members of our management team have been privileged to meet and speak with some of the world’s top managers, like media moguls Barry Diller and Jonathan Newhouse, Coca Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, renowned chef Rainer Becker, and Hublot Watch Company’s Chairman, Jean Claude Biver.

To simply listen to these industry leaders’ conversations and insights is akin to taking Doctorate level courses at the finest universities. So, this week, our blog passes along a few pearls of wisdom and thought-provoking ideas and observations from each of the people previously mentioned, as Management Lessons Learned Over Small Talk. (more…)

Our professional careers often span decades. During that time, we try everything under the sun to stay on top of our chosen paths, so that we might improve ourselves, provide for a more rewarding lifestyle, or simply keep our heads above water.

Throughout my career, I learned management skills by considering my experiences and those of others with whom I have worked. I read about what good managers do and I listen to how great leaders speak to everyone in their spheres of influence. Observation and mimicry have been my allies. I’ve tried to draw on everything, everywhere to become a better manager.

Recently, I came to the startling realization that a member of my own household, years younger than myself, has taught me about management for the last four years: My dog, Kyleigh.

Before you cancel your agreement with MBMI because I’ve lost it, I ask you to consider the possibility that I am not alone in my capacity to learn from a big red dog whose mother was more than a tad indiscriminate about the heritage of her gentleman callers.

I have come to admire the ways in which my dog interacts with the family. Like a middle manager, she both manages and requires management. That is why I now present “The Management Lessons I Have Learned from My Dog:” (more…)

Bob Lefsetz is a remarkable observer of our industry. His daily commentaries and blogs are distributed to, and read by, anybody who is anybody.

You probably know him and subscribe.

On the off chance you missed his comparison of Amateurs vs. Professionals, we feel obligated to offer it to you here with Bob’s kind permission. (more…)

Yesterday, a very good friend of mine scored an incredible, out-of-this-world radio programming job.

Knowing my friend as I do, this position is custom made for him and it is in one of the cities he desired to be in the most: New York City.

My buddy has been extremely successful there before, just as he has been successful in virtually every challenge he has accepted. (more…)