Four weeks back, Rory McIlroy was marching down #18 at Augusta National on his way to what professional golfers call “The Career Grand Slam”.
This elusive “Slam” – winning all four of golf’s major tournaments – The US Open, The PGA Championship, The Open Championship and The Masters – is a feat achieved by only five players in golf’s history.
On this Master’s Sunday, Rory McIlroy would be the sixth.
And – while approaching the 18th green, McIlroy still had not said anything to his playing partner, Bryson DeChambeau, the entire round – four and a half hours of golf.
Not. One. Word.
Why?
Dr. Bob told Rory McIlroy not to say a word – or break his focus.
It worked.
Rory McIlroy has a Swing Coach, a Nutrition Coach, and a Personal Training Coach. Plus, a guy named Bob Rotella – his MENTAL coach.
Dr. Bob Rotella is widely regarded as the leading mental coach in the world of golf, assisting the world’s best to perform under pressure.
His “Rotella’s Rules” – 10 rules that are often referred to as the standard when building mental fitness in competition.
Read THOSE rules – HERE.
While Rotella’s Mental Coaching is golf-centered, much of what he preaches translates to radio, especially Adult Formats.
Here’s a sample:
Don’t be seduced by results.
- Just over 35 years ago, the Kevin Costner film Field of Dreams landed in theatres with the central theme – “If You Build It, They Will Come.” If you have a great product, people will find you.
- You’ve built a great Adult Contemporary product—a solid Music Matrix, the market’s best talent and community promotions. Celebrate your victories and move on. Setbacks will come, along with more victories.
- Get ratings off your desk. We’ve encouraged programmers to ignore weekly ratings, even monthly reports. It takes half a year to detect trends. Results weighing on quick decisions can quickly lead you off course.
Beat them with patience.
- A sister idea to being seduced by results, patience is a virtue, especially with Adult Formats. Research shows by the time people reach their 30s, their brand loyalties are set. Resist change, as change potentially will disrupt your core.
- Music shifts with Adult Contemporary will take several seasons to indicate the success of your music moves. Patience with changes pays dividends.
- Talent changes require extreme patience. Even in metered markets, a new Morning Show or personality change is ‘new’ for 12 to 18 months. Set expectations with your team—manage expectations UP also—that success with new talent for your listeners takes time to bake in.
Embrace your personality.
- Through the years, we’ve found that Adult Contemporary brands are linear in presentation. That is, personalities are often coached to read liners, imaging has little or no life, and promotions offer little beyond ‘caller #9’.
- We often recruit and coach programmers to put their personality into the presentation effort. You entered this rocky road we call ‘a radio career’ because of the FUN it brought into our lives. Even with Adult Contemporary, we’re in Show Business!
- Avoid the Social Contagion of emulating the ‘sound’ of another Adult Contemporary brand, even though that brand may experience success. Your vision and personality should be reflected in the sound you create for your station.
Find someone who believes in you.
- We’ve preached this for years: Find a mentor to bounce your ideas off. This could be someone highly successful in your format, a morning show talent to add to your network, or a programmer within your company.
- As outlined above in the Rory McIlroy case, he has several categories in which he finds support. A mentor doesn’t need to have all the answers and don’t shy away from switching your mentor network throughout the years.
- This will build confidence in yourself and the decisions you make for your brand. Mentors who believe in you come in all forms – spouse, a friend, a teacher or reading what psychologists have to offer.
Have a routine to lean on.
- Related to point #2 – Patience – is routine. Build a disciplined Music Matrix with a sense of predictability – mornings that place solid benchmarks at the same scheduled time each day – interesting but easily followed promotions.
- Adult Contemporary fans take the same daily route to work, have a Sunday Morning regimen, and eat the same two to three things for lunch each week. Expectations when they come to you for the same experience each listening occasion should be routine.
- Often programmers get bored with music rotations and promotions, feeling the need to ‘tinker.’ We coach stations to repeat contesting throughout the year, as learning a NEW mechanic for a giveaway takes listeners a week or so just to learn how to play. Don’t allow boredom to break your routine.
Custom brand building is a messy process. Somewhere on your journey, wheels are bound to loosen, bringing you off course. Having a framework to guide you brings you closer to achieving daily excellence.
Dr. Bob Rotella’s best-selling book, which is ageless, is Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect. It is a solid and quick read that can be applied to radio and life.
One of Dr. Rotella’s rules not covered above:
Believe You Can Win.
Belief is powerful and contagious, and it might be the most powerful of Rotella’s 10 for your staff.
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Kevin Robinson is a passionate award-winning programmer, consultant and coach – with multi-formats success all over the country. He has advised numerous companies including Audacy (formerly Entercom Communications), Beasley Broadcast Group, Westwood One, Midwest Communications, Townsquare Media, Midwest Family Broadcasting Group, EG Media Group, Federated Media, Kensington Media, mediaBrew Communications, Starved Rock Media, and more. He specializes in strategic radio cluster alignment, building lean-forward tactics and talent coaching – legacy and entry-level – personalities.
Known largely as a trusted talent coach, Kevin is the only personality mentor who’s coached three different morning shows on three different brands in the same major market to the #1 position. His efforts have been recognized by The World Wide Radio Summit, Radio & Records, NAB’s Marconi, and he has coached CMA, ACM and Marconi Award-winning talent. He is also in The Zionsville High School Hall of Fame as part of the 2008 inaugural class. Kevin is an Indiana native – living near Zionsville with his wife of 39 years, Monica and can be reached at kevin@robinsonmedia.fm.
