Page 19 - Radio_Ink

How To Spot Your Next Great Manager
How many times have you been told it's your responsibility to train and hire or promote the person who
replaces you? That's the ticket if you want to continue to advance in this business. However, it's not really
that simple. Not everyone wants to be a manager, and those who do need to either possess or be taught
certain skills if you want them to succeed in your chair. Radio Ink reached out to a handful of managers
who made our Best Managers in Radio list in 2017 and asked them this question: When do you know you
have a great employee who has the potential to become a manager?

When an employee has working and communicating Responsibility and atten- When they demon-
potential to become a man- effectively with others. I have tion to detail are always a strate the ability to clearly
ager, you see them firing the blessing of working with good sign. Total honesty, communicate and set
on certain talents, compe- students as interns. Some always. Intellectual curios- expectations with internal
tencies, and behaviors. Our show that spark early, and ity, asking questions and and external partners,
management team looks those who do can be exposed coming up with creative thoroughly listen and are
for leadership, teamwork, to aspects of our business answers, are also promising able to identify objective
and initiative — an indi- that they would never get in indicators. Caring about the needs, consistently create
vidual who has mastered the classroom. Even experi- needs of the customer and and bring solutions to chal-
their job duties and takes enced employees, when given the listener, as well as the lenges, serve and celebrate
on other responsibilities or a challenging task that they team and the company, and others, take guidance and
helps us improve processes. successfully complete, may being willing to put those customize it to fit their
We look for someone that begin to show management things first shows maturity strengths, smartly use their MANAGERS ROUNDTABLE
colleagues and internal potential. regardless of chronological command of our business,
and external partners com- Jim Watkins age. Confronting problems and have an energy that
pliment on their high work General Manager head on instead of avoid- others follow and a burning
quality and consistency. WHUR/Washington, DC ing them or trying to hide desire to compete and win.
They have to be someone Howard University them. Not surprisingly, these Brian Purdy
most people enjoy working are the chief characteristics Sr. Vice President/Market
with, from all levels of our of our leadership team: Manager
organization. Volunteering Business Manager Laura Entercom
to take on additional tasks Treul, Operations Manager
is a great sign of a poten- Tony Waitekus, and Director
tial manager. Other signs of of Sales Aleese Fielder. The
management potential are simple fact is that whatever
accountability and taking success we have had in this
ownership of one's work. market is due largely to
Employees who approach them and the teams they
every project with a win- When I see an employee lead by example. New man-
ning attitude and an under- helping others in the build- agers emerge naturally from
standing that their work is ing succeed. When that an environment like that.
a direct reflection of their person sees a job that needs Kurt Luchs
own success are employees to be done and does it with- General Manager These employees tradi-
with management poten- out being asked, or without NRG Media tionally are the first in and
tial. seeking acknowledgment for Wausau-Stevens Point, WI last out of the office, they
Tami Honesty completing the task. That set the work pace for their
Vice President/GM employee also does more They're usually easy to peers and respective depart-
Radio One than is required of them, spot. The guy/girl who natu- ments, they put their peers
Dallas rally mentors others and has and team before themselves,
whether it's one extra sales a positive energy that others they take leadership roles
call, an extra piece of pro- amongst their peers, and
That's an easy one. There's duction, or coming in on a gravitate toward. There's
a spark that ignites within an weekend to get billing out also a certain confidence that they know how to make deci-
individual that you can see on time. defines them that is neither sions. Definitely no "fence
and feel. The person demon- Cam Maxwell arrogant nor self-centered. sitting" for aspiring or active
strates a passion for the busi- Regional General Manager Jim Pastor managers.
ness, but also demonstrates Connoisseur Media Vice President/GM Gregg Wolfson
the power of teamwork, of ESPN 1000/Chicago Vice President/GM
Billings, MT Local Media San Diego
ESPN
J a n u a r y 2 9, 2 018 R A DIOI N K • C OM 19