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Tolerating ‘Rabble Rousers’ …
August 18, 2020
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No matter how long you work in this business or any other profession, there are always the one or two narcissists flapping their lips and complaining about anything and everything. It is a no-win situation; in their minds, nothing is ever right. They are armchair experts on everything.
Motivation …
These “rabble rousers” will touch on a host of usual work topics like motivation, program directives, wages, working conditions, and an array of other things. I’m not dismissing issues in the workplace, but usually these verbal tactics are used to deflect away from their personal work issues.Be Careful What You Wish For ….
I was once in a situation where one of these “rabble rousers” was promoted to program director. He found out pointing fingers is easier than taking responsibility for your actions.What Not To Do ….
This newly crowned PD signed off on a promotion and never read the security responsibilities for a station event. On the day of the event, the artist refused to perform because what was required in the rider was not in place for security. Instead of admitting he made a mistake, the PD tried to put the blame on the inexperienced promotions director. Fortunately, the general manager’s secretary was in the negotiation meeting with artist management, that the PD did not go to. She let her boss know the truth and the PD was fired for his lack of integrity.Here’s One More Example …
I once held an air staff meeting and a “rabble rousing” self-appointed spokesperson for the air talent, decided to make his presence known. The meeting was about what I thought the air personalities could do a better job of on the air. He said and I’m paraphrasing, “We feel that you have us sounding like robots. Our new open-mic liner interferes with our flow.”Who Appointed Him …?
I let him finish and then asked, "Does #### speak for everyone?" Nobody raised their hand. I stopped myself from laughing and said, "Always make sure you are speaking for everyone before you appoint yourself as their leader." Several personalities were trying not to laugh, but the music director was laughing so hard that he had to excuse himself from the meeting.Soothing His Ego …
The incident quieted him down for several months until his egotistical ways became an issue again. To keep him in check, we “killed two birds with one stone.” I had promotions create an event centered around him. It kept him happy and the event was successful.Let Them Think They’re In Charge …
Being the boss or working with a “rabble rouser” is challenging. My advice is to give them opportunities to voice concerns in private meeting with you and a third party always present. I used to listen, put them in charge of coming up with an answer to the alleged issue, and give them 4 weeks to come back to me with a possible solution. The key to the exercise was to let the “rabble rouser” think they were in charge of something. More times than not, they would come back with meaningless answers, but indicate another issue to solve. I would again put them in charge of reporting back to me with a solution. On occasion they would bring me something I could use, and I would give them credit for it amongst the staff. The afterglow would last for months.Irony …
Ironically, people like this were usually gifted air personalities and it was the only reason I put up with them. Placating a talented “rabble rouser” outweighed hiring someone who might not hit bonus targets that benefited me and the company’s bottom line. -
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