I can’t watch another Antonio Brown saga without thinking about the Antonio Brown types in sports radio.
For those not following, Antonio Brown is a wide receiver with the Oakland Raiders who is currently upset that he can’t use the same helmet he has used in the past. That helmet is no longer certified for safety by the NFL. Additionally, in his final year with the Steelers he got into an argument with QB Ben Roethlisberger and sat out practice leading into the Steelers final game of the season. He was benched and did not play in the Steelers last game. After the season he demanded a trade and was eventually traded to the Raiders for a third and fifth round park.
If you work or have worked in sports radio, you are thinking about a host or hosts at your station. In a nutshell, I’m talking about a host who is a big performer in ratings, but is a total pain in the ass and nearly impossible to deal with. I had one programming executive tell me that dealing with one host was like “negotiating with a terrorist.”
Anyone who hasn’t worked in radio or an entertainment field would not believe the things these “stars” get away with. They way they treat other people in the workplace would be shocking to any outsider. I have seen screaming matches in hallways, hosts who won’t even speak to co-workers, and near fist-fights.
The really dangerous Antonio Brown types undermine other shows, other hosts, management, really anyone who doesn’t fall in line with them. Heck, even people who do fall in line find themselves in the cross hairs.
I once heard a PD say about one of these types of hosts, “Why should I be s***ing his d**k?? He should be s***ing MY d**k!! This is insane! It’s f***ing insane!”
(He then threw something against the wall, shattering it.)
Now you know you have this cancer in the clubhouse, but the host gets big ratings and brings in big revenue for your station. The talent also has a multi-year contract and makes a lot of money–usually more than any other host on the staff. So now what? Let’s check out what management expert Luba S. Sydor, founder of Person 2 Person LLC, suggests as ways to handle difficult, but talented employees:
Make them aware: A manager must make sure the employee is aware of the problems they are causing in the workplace. It is easy for an employee to be completely blind to his or her distracting behavior. Management should arrange to meet with the employee to explain how the behavior is affecting his coworkers and the office environment. Awareness is the first and most important step in dealing with an employee who has a difficult personality.
Gain understanding: The employee needs to show a willingness to change his demeanor and personality. If an employee complains all the time, he must admit to excessive complaining and make an effort to complain less in the future. The manager will need to provide additional support in order to motivate the employee to change.
Be thoughtful about assignments. To the extent possible (and naturally this isn’t always controllable), provide some especially substantive, challenging assignments that will fully utilize and stretch their considerable skills. “We give our best people the worst assignments,” was how a former colleague of mine used to jokingly put it. Such assignments can also engage them and bring out their best.
Be direct and give ample feedback. Don’t dance around problems – articulate the issues as precisely as possible. If there’s difficulty, for example, collaborating with other team members as a member of the XYZ team, state it. Provide feedback often and in both directions – positive reinforcement when things are going well and corrective guidance when they’re not.
No drama. When conflicts arise, as they inevitably do, stay calm. Some challenging employees even enjoy being provocateurs. Don’t allow yourself to be drawn into the fray and pull rank and lose your temper, however tempting that might be.
Document clearly. Thorough documentation is always necessary for clear fact-based evaluations, assessing objectively whether goals are achieved or not. Solid documentation is also essential should you need to build a case for termination.
You can read the full article at: https://www.ziprecruiter.com/blog/managing-difficult-talented-employees/
While these notes are clearly meant for a more traditional workplace, there are some really good management tips here. Clearly being able to keep your cool under “no drama” is important. Also, I really am a fan of giving the host “substantive, challenging assignments.” I feel like sometimes these hosts have endless energy and are always “on”, so why not tap into that and give them some special projects to work on outside of their daily shows. Not all of these tips work for all situations and hosts, but hopefully this helps with the Antonio Brown at your station.
Matt Fishman is a former columnist for BSM. The current PD of ESPN Cleveland has a lengthy resume in sports radio programming. His career stops include SiriusXM, 670 The Score in Chicago, and 610 Sports in Kansas City. You can follow him on Twitter @FatMishman20 or you can email him at FishmanSolutions@gmail.com.
