-
Take Your Vacations ...
October 22, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
A few weekends ago I visited an Operations Manager I used to do battle with for ratings supremacy. We had a good laugh over some of the stuff we did to each other -- like the time both of us were at a committee meeting for a community event. He drove his stations van and came by himself. When the meeting ended and just before he drove off, I walked over and said I was glad our stations were working together on something. While his head was turned towards me in conversation, my Promotions Director put a couple of our station stickers on the passenger side door of his van. The next day I heard from one of our mutual friends that he didn't like my prank. However, the point of this column is not about funny episodes in the heat of radio battle, it's what my former competitor said about vacations.
My Take-Away ...
Our reunion revealed paranoia because he said, "I was afraid to go away on vacation because of what you might be do while I was gone. I just could not take the chance of being out of town very long." On the drive to my hotel I flashed back to my first vacation as a PD. I remembered going away for a week and constantly calling the hot line, the promotions director, the GM, and the Music Director. By the time I finally relaxed, my vacation was over.
Stress Down ...
As I sat at a stoplight, it dawned on me how I probably increased my stress back then by not taking all my vacation days. Daily programing is a constant state of problem solving. Then I remembered something my grandfather used to tell my grandmother about continually dusting around the house, "Lil, the dust will still be around when we are dead and gone, we'll just be a part of it. Sit and relax, it's not going anywhere."
My first Radio Vacation Ever ...
Radio is a great life, and the average person looks at our business as fun. I confess, during my early radio years it was hard to comprehend that I got paid vacations for something I never thought of as work. My first vacation felt surreal and a little frightening on some level. I had all these what ifs; What if my boss decided the guy filling in for me was better, what if they decided to eliminate my time slot, what if this or what if that, etc.
Stop It ...
Those goofy thoughts gave me a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I shared my feeling about days off with one of the veteran talents on the staff. It's been years, but I'll paraphrase what he said, "Everyone needs some downtime. You need to give people a reason to miss you. Don't underestimate what some days away from this sh#t will do to fire you back up. Stop worrying as if it's a punishment or a clever scheme to get rid of you, it's just a vacation. Go do something fun and don't listen to any radio while you are gone."
Get Your Mind Right ...
I know it's easier said than done but try and put the job out of your mind. It will be there when you get back. If you're a programmer, delegate responsibility in advance and if you're an air talent make sure you've completed all your assigned production before you leave. Go on vacation and open your eyes to life. Saint Augustine said: "The world is a book and those who do not travel only read one page."
-
-