Our biggest strength can also be our biggest weakness. One of the qualities that made former NFL quarterback Brett Favre so great is that he was a risk-taker. Favre’s aggressiveness is a huge reason why he’s a three-time league MVP, has a Super Bowl ring, and is one of only four quarterbacks to throw 500+ career touchdown passes. Of course you know the rest of the story. Due to Favre’s gambling ways, he also leads the league in career interceptions with 336. That’s a whopping 59 more interceptions than the next guy in line, George Blanda.
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul provides another example of a strength also being a weakness. Paul is one of the best point guards of all time. He unexpectedly led his team to the doorstep of an NBA title this year. CP3’s intensity and great competitiveness have directly fueled his solid career. However, that intensity and competitive fire are the same qualities that have alienated some of his ex-teammates like James Harden and Blake Griffin.
We know that what works for us can also work against us. But it’s not good enough to shrug our shoulders like, “Hey, you win some and lose some.” If we can identify and minimize our biggest flaw, we’ll be in a much better position to succeed.
I recently conducted Q&A interviews with sports radio heavyweight Mike Golic and Seattle rising star Stacy Rost. This sounds like a shameless promotion for Barrett Sports Media, or at the very least a humble brag, but it’s really not. I don’t think. Golic and Rost made comments that caused me to look at ego a little differently.
First off, saying that ego is involved in sports radio is like saying that water is wet and concerts are loud. It’s obviously a big part of the industry. Ego can be your best friend or your worst enemy as a sports radio host. The comments from Golic and Rost highlight the areas where ego is helpful and hurtful.
Mike Golic has been a sports radio free agent since his reign at ESPN ended just over a year ago. I wondered if Golic finds it baffling that another company hasn’t carved out a prime position for him yet. He told me, “Does everybody have an ego and would love the networks to give you their top spot? Well sure, but that’s unrealistic.”
Keeping your ego in check is step one of ego maintenance. Golic is telling his ego that it’s not allowed to do the thinking for him. That’s very important. If he allowed his ego to take over and say, “You’re a beast, Golic. How are these companies going to disrespect you like that? You should be back in morning drive by now.” What would those thoughts lead to? Anger, frustration, and impatience. None of those things will cause an employer to open a door either. It’s useful to tell your ego to shut up when it’s leading you down the wrong path.
Ego isn’t all bad though. Stacy Rost said something that caused me to look closer at the benefits of having an ego. “The most important thing you can do as a radio host is be confident and think your opinion matters and people should hear it,” Rost said. “It’s this weird kind of thing that might not always play in real life if you were with your friends, and it makes for a fantastic radio host. Someone who’s confident, thinks he or she has something to say, and everyone needs to hear it right away. But that’s the stuff that draws people to you. It’s like a magnet.”
She’s right. Her thought also ties to the very definition of ego — a person’s sense of self-importance. Ego is the only way you can think everyone needs to hear your opinion. This is where it helps. There is a peacock quality — a look at me element — that benefits radio hosts. We can’t tippy toe around and command attention. Pro wrestlers typically don’t have meek personalities. Think of Stone Cold Steve Austin cracking open cold ones, having convulsions on the top rope, giving double-bird salutes, and driving a beer truck inside Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York. That’s not exactly a meek approach.
A pro wrestler doesn’t crack the mic and timidly say, “I’ve got some things on my mind. Maybe you’d like to hear them. I don’t know, maybe not.” That wrestler oozes confidence. Radio hosts need to exude the same. There is a showmanship quality in sports radio. It’s the entertainment world; you’re literally putting on a show. It doesn’t mean hosts have to be bouncing off the walls like Ric Flair or Macho Man Randy Savage as if they drank nine pots of coffee, but coming across like people need to hear your opinion is a winning approach.
Ego is like those warning labels that say handle with care. Caution and good judgment are needed to use it properly. Ego can be off-putting. It can also cause you to get lazy. Mike Tyson was once the baddest man on the planet. He didn’t think he had to do the dirty work leading up to a fight in 1990 against Buster Douglas. Turns out he was wrong. Like really wrong. Tyson was knocked down for the first time in his career, then knocked out, and lost his heavyweight crown in the process. Do you think there are one or two (or 200) sports radio hosts that have gotten lazy due to ego? Refer back to Tyson. It doesn’t end well.
For every horror story involving ego, there is an opposite example of an immensely successful rapper that brags about being around the prettiest women and driving the nicest cars. Ego isn’t automatically a bad thing; it all depends how it’s utilized. Ego can fuel success and also destroy potential. It’s about identifying where ego helps and where it hinders.
Imagine if Brett Favre and Chris Paul were able to minimize their biggest weakness while maintaining their biggest strength. Success city. They would’ve been unstoppable. Believe it or not there are fiery leaders that don’t royally tick off their teammates, and risk-taking quarterbacks that don’t turn the ball over as much as Favre. It could’ve happened. That’s the challenge for all of us; identifying what helps and hurts us most, then weeding out the bad stuff while maintaining the good.
For sports radio hosts, ego can be a major asset. It also has the potential to be your biggest weakness. Don’t extinguish ego; point it in the right direction.
Brian Noe is a columnist for BSM and an on-air host heard nationwide on FOX Sports Radio’s Countdown To Kickoff. Previous roles include stops in Portland, OR, Albany, NY and Fresno, CA. You can follow him on Twitter @TheNoeShow or email him at bnoe@premierenetworks.com.
