"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, it's just possible you haven't grasped the situation." Jean Kerr

"You're always a little disappointing in person because you can't be the edited essence of yourself." Mel Brooks

"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." Fred Shero

Today's image: And the Road Goes On Forever by Thomas Hawk. Amazing. Thank you for sharing.

Memorial Day
Help our troops and help their families.
Please, join me and give what you can
USO

Inspired by The Power of Pull by Hagel, Brown and Davison, today's post is a follow-on to my last post, here. This is the second in a series. From the book's introduction...

"It's quickly dawning on us...our education was at best a thin foundation
that needs to be continually refreshed in order for us to stay competitive.

The stress in our professional lives bleeds over into our personal lives as we find ourselves working longer hours and as long-standing relationships are disrupted by unexpected events...Incumbents at the core - which is the place where most of the resources, especially people and money, are concentrated, and where old ways of thinking and acting still hold sway - have many fewer incentives to figure out the world, or to discover new ways of doing things, or to find new information. They're on top, and they're ready to keep doing what got them there. But simply accessing or attracting static resources no longer cuts it. Accessing and attracting have little value unless they are coupled with a third set of practices that focus on driving performance rapidly to new levels. These practices involve participation in, and sometimes orchestration of, something we call 'creation spaces' - environments that effectively integrate teams within a broader learning ecology so that performance improvement accelerates as more participants join."

The authors suggest we are witness to a value migration from the "experience curve" to the "collaboration curve."

Answering the earlier call for "flow" we have the recommendations of another in my flow, Tom Webster. My thanks to Tom.

Justin Kownacki
Altitude Branding
Convince & Convert
in over your head
Six Pixels of Separation
Brian Solis

More from my flow. Three broadcasting (radio) blogs worth your bandwidth and three daily emails for you to consider.

Blogs/RSS:

jacoBLOG
The Infinite Dial
RAIN: Radio and the Internet Newsletter


Daily email newsletters, solid day-starters:

The Slatest
Mike Allen's Playbook
Hugh's Daily Cartoon

Who's in your flow? Please do get in touch with your suggestions. Thank you.

A word to the wise: It's no longer an option. You (and your stations) should be on Twitter. If you are, please consider this your written invitation to follow (@martindave), you have my pledge to follow back. Should you not be Twittering, why not? What exactly are you waiting for? Jump in! Getting started: Complete your profile including pic, link and bio. Tweet! Twitter tips: 1. Be yourself 2. Read replies, respond, engage. 3. Share the good stuff, RT and link 4. Manners matter, be nice. 5. Have fun.

Closed circuit to Jeff Haley: Join the conversation! Ready, willing and able to assist you in making the most of social networks including Twitter.

Congrats & cheers: All honored by Ad Age Magazine in their 2010 Entertainment A-List. The top five: Sony Pictures, Justin Bieber, Blind Side, Clear Channel, and The Beatles, Rock Band. Writing about Clear Channel, Ad Age says "Exec VP Evan Harrison's iHeartRadio makes Clear Channel a breeding ground for discovering new artists and a top earner in digital revenue" $175 million gross (SNL Kagan, 2009). 22 million monthly uniques at iHeartRadio.com

Bravos: The legendary Paulie Gallis on his latest lunch meet in Chicago. We had a great time gathered at Tavern at the Park. Attending were Mark Edwards, Brian Kelly, Tom Teuber, Kurt Hanson, John Gehron, Dan Kelley, Jim Scully, Dick Rakovan, Kipper McGee, Mike Shied, and Doug Dahlgren.



Summer reads: first in a series, the latest from N=1 fav Clay Shirky (non-fiction). From the publisher's release...

"The potential impact of cognitive surplus is enormous. As Shirky points out, Wikipedia was built out of roughly 1 percent of the man-hours that Americans spend watching TV every year. Wikipedia and other current products of cognitive surplus are only the iceberg's tip. Shirky shows how society and our daily lives will be improved dramatically as we learn to exploit our goodwill and free time like never before."

Pre-order: Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age by Clay Shirky. [Amzn info]

Got a summer read to recommend? Please share in comments.

Bonus: Cognitive Surplus: The Great Spare-Time Revolution. Daniel Pink & Clay Shirky via Wired Magazine, here. "...organizations that are founded to solve problems end up committed to the preservation of the problems." - Shirky

Learn more, earn more: The Conclave's Summer Learning Conference happens July 15-17, in Minneapolis. Rock radio maven Fred Jacobs and his Jacobs Media team kick off Conclave's 35th year with a new annual learning event, Jacobs Media Summer School. Just added: Jerry Clifton's Night School. More info and online registration, here. Being involved behind the scenes provides me with some unique insider knowledge. Let's just say Conclave 2010 is one you do not want to miss. FD: I serve as an unpaid director on the Conclave board.

Must-read of the month: May: State of Play by B. Kite Pt 1. Some notes on the growing pains of gaming culture, here. Pt 2. Considering the artistic future of video games, here.

Enjoy or endure

Sir Ken Robinson returned to TED this year. Sir Ken's talk is an outstanding follow-on to his last TED appearance. His thesis is we make very poor use of our talents. His suggestion is there are two groups of people in the business world. Those who enjoy what they do and those who endure and wait for the weekend. For those that enjoy their work, it's not what they do, it's who they are. Note to leaders: job one is to create the conditions for achievement. Check out his wonderful new Ted Talk: Bring on the learning revolution!




Have an amazing week. Thank you for stopping by. Your thoughts via comments and email are always welcome and appreciated.

"So then the year is repeating its old story again. We are come once more to its most charming chapter." Goethe

"Courage is grace under pressure." Ernest Hemingway

"The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise." Tacitus

Today's image: reflections (A) by camil tulcan. Wonderful shot. Thanks for sharing.

"So what have you learned since I last saw you?"

That's the question leadership scholar Warren Bennis threw at Tom Peters. Tom goes on, in his latest book, to speak about learning. [The Little Big Things. Chapter 118. Learning. Making the Grade: Lifelong Learning Is a Mission-Statement Must. Amzn info]

"In our rapidly gyrating world, learning-for-life is no longer an option; it's a professional life (or death) necessity - as more and more are beginning to realize. This is true of you at age 17 or 27 or 47 or 67..."

"Bottom Line: I strongly believe that an explicit focus on 'lifelong learning' for everyone on board could well be the most sustainable advantage an organization of any flavor can have!

Hence, I hereby strongly (!!) suggest that...'An unstinting commitment by every one of us to accelerated lifelong learning'...or some close kin be made a formal part of your mission-values statement. It deserves to be right up there in the stratosphere with the likes of superior quality and profitability."

It's impossible not to agree with Tom Peters on the critical importance of lifelong learning. Understanding we are all busy, dollars and time tighter than ever, let me encourage you to sign up for a valuable learning opportunity.

Should you be reading this on March 31st, and you're in the broadcasting business, congrats, it's your lucky day. My thought is there are two must-attend learning events coming up in 2010. Please allow me to suggest that you will benefit by attending both.

First, the 35th annual Conclave Learning Conference, being held in Minneapolis, July 15 - 17. It's a meeting built on a long and rich tradition. In fact, it's the longest running radio programming conference in America.

As you may have heard, this year's Conclave begins with the debut of the Jacobs Media Summer School, a very special new event developed by Fred Jacobs and his Jacobs Media team. Fred's event, certain to be amazing, is only the beginning. Everything I'm hearing from the Conclave agenda committee suggests that this year's Conclave Learning Conference will be one truly exceptional experience and one you should go out of your way to attend. It has the potential to be the best Conclave in history and that would certainly be something you should not miss.

If you've attended a Conclave you know all about the special, unique experience - this is the year you should come back. If you've not been to a Conclave Learning Conference then this is the year you should take your first Conclave deep dive.

Who should attend? If you work in broadcast media you'll benefit by attending. While the Conclave is an excellent networking opportunity, the actionable take away is unmatched. The agenda is packed with practical knowledge, stuff that you can put to work back at your stations.

Here's the best part. Until midnight tonight you can register for only $149, that's 50% off the $299 registration. But you must act today. Complete the registration form and in the Gang of Ten section use the code "35 Insider." That's it! You're in for $149. There's no need to list nine others in the Gang of Ten section of the form because this code has already qualified for the special discount.

This offer expires today. Pay $149 today or - if you wait - $299 or more. I'm suggesting you take advantage of this valuable learning opportunity by taking action today. Don't wait. Use the following link, the Gang of Ten code "35 Insider" and get registered today. Please email this post or copy/paste and forward this information on to friends and colleagues. Friends don't let friends pay retail. You can also get details on the special $99 rate at the host hotel. If you're reading this after March 31st let me again encourage you to attend. The cost of Conclave registration remains an outstanding value.

Here's the link, for more info and to register, Click Conclave. See you at the Conclave! [FD: I serve as an unpaid member of the Conclave board]

Tomorrow, information (and a discount code) about my second must-attend conference of 2010.

As always, thank you for stopping by.

"The breakthrough innovations come when tension is greatest and the resources are most limited. That’s when people are actually a lot more open to rethinking the fundamental way they do business." Clayton M. Christensen

"Creativity is thinking new things. Innovation is doing new things." Theodore Levitt

"Planning, by its very nature, defines and preserves categories. Creativity, by its very nature, creates categories or re-arranges established ones." Henry Mintzberg

Today's image: ...my home town by -Just John- Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

The following text is an excerpt taken from the Sean Ross email newsletter and is shared here in the hope it will prompt you to remember a pro now out of work, cause you to take action and reach out to those in need. My thanks to Sean.

This Holiday Season, You Make The Call

Every ROR (Ross On Radio) reader undoubtedly knows a programmer with a great track record and without a radio station. You may not have reached out to this person in a while: maybe over guilt about being the one who's still working; maybe because you don't know how to help; perhaps because there's no good way to respond to somebody who is (justifiably or otherwise) frustrated and angry about being cut off from an industry they contributed to for so many years - an industry that is hardly flourishing without them.

So, if you are in any way touched by Dene Hallam's death, chances are excellent that you have phone calls of your own to make this holiday season. However few resources you may be able to offer somebody, you have the opportunity to make them feel less marginalized.

Buy a cool book, help a charity. As you may know, Turn It Up! American Radio Tales is the wonderful book by Bob Shannon. It's the must-read for radio geeks. Just in time for holiday gift giving, Bob is offering his book at a special discount and he will make a donation to the Conclave for each book sold. Get more info, purchase the book at the not otherwise available deep discount, here. [FD: I serve as a director for the charity and as an unpaid adviser to the author]

Bonus: Killer value proposition. Attend the Conclave 2010 Learning Conference and pay the early bird rate of $199 or get a group of ten together and pay only $149. More info, here.

"I love radio. I have always loved radio. It’s a soundtrack. It’s a heart beat. It is more a part of real life than maybe any other signal written, visual or interactive. It has the best pictures." Gary Koelling

"The market for something to believe in is infinite." Hugh MacLeod

"The great creators - the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors - stood alone against the men of their time." Ayn Rand

Today's image: God by Nemo* Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

Bravos: Fresh from the 2009 Conclave: the Gary Koelling presentation. His related prepared remarks may be found here. Well worth your bandwidth. My thanks to Gary for sharing and to Phil Wilson, who made Gary's Conclave appearance happen, for the tip

Signal Strength Presentation

View more documents from Gary Koelling.

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." R. Buckminster Fuller

"Good ideas have lonely childhoods." Hugh MacLeod

"When we let go and just realize we really don't know everything, new opportunity presents itself." Doug Zanger

Today's image: Take me to your Herder! by jonbradbury. Great shot. Thanks for sharing.

The amazing power of NEW
(and the advantages of abandonment)

The future success of an organization depends upon its embrace of the new and its courage to abandon that which is no longer effective. What new things are getting attention in your shop? What things are you continuing to do that are, for whatever reason, failing to produce the results of the past or the expectations of the present?

The trap, the path to almost certain failure, is to focus the team and resources on getting better. The solution set will most often be found in getting different.

Stop wasting precious time on the numerator. Change the denominator.

The story of Andy Grove and Intel comes to mind. In 1985 Grove famously said to Gordon Moore “If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you think he would do?”..."Why shouldn’t you and I walk out the door, come back, and do it ourselves?" (Read more. The Art of Andy Grove via Harvard Business, here)

If you were kicked out and someone was brought in to replace you, what do you think they would do? Why not get to work and do it.

Bravos: It was wonderful to experience another Conclave last week, if only for one day of the latest run. It's truly an exceptional gathering. Year after year it proves to be the little meeting that could. My sense is, again this year, there are four individuals that have - so far - failed to get even close to the credit or recognition they properly deserve. Tom Kay, the Conclave's executive director and keeper of the flame. Jane Dyson, Conclave's MVP, the tie breaking closer that gets things done on the fly no matter the challenge at hand. Joel Denver, the Conclave's patron saint who cares enough to put to work not only his money but the force of his incredible personality and the unmatched ongoing support of his very respected All Access enterprise. Art Vuolo Jr., Radio's Best Friend, the guy who pulls the Clave TV rabbit out of his hat (with a good thirty seconds or so to spare) year after year. He also continues to serve as the video historian of a largely thankless tribe. Kay, Dyson, Denver, Vuolo. There simply ain't no clave'n without these guys . Take a moment this week and give them a call, send them an email, chat them up and say thanks. Since they will not be expecting this to happen, you're certain to make their day a bit brighter. Go ahead, do it. Please and thank you. [FD: In the previous century I served as chair of the Conclave board and recently made application to again serve that institution as a director]

Congrats & cheers: Steven Goldstein, Saga Communications' EVP, on his well deserved 2009 Rockwell Award. Steve is an exceptionally gifted executive. His straight forward style is as refreshing as it is rare. Kudos to longtime Goldstein friend and collaborator Fred Jacobs who did a simply wonderful job introducing Steve at last week's 2009 Conclave awards luncheon.

Good reads: The Demonization of the Contest Pig. The ever insightful Tom Webster of Edison Research weighs in on station gaming, here. Transparency is the new objectivity. Dr Dave Weinberger makes another interesting argument worth your bandwidth, here. Jay's Media Page is the new blog of cool kid, measurement maven and ROI Media Solutions partner Jay Guyther, here. The Three Hardest Words to Say by Doug Zanger A well done writing on developing and leading the hard work of creativity via Ad Age, here.

Summer read: Ripped. How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music by Greg Kot (Amzn info) Highly recommended.

Bonus: Sign up for Hugh MacLeod's Crazy, Deranged Fools Newsletter, here. Thank me later.

"Experiment. Measure. Evolve!" Kipper McGee

"The record industry suing file sharers is like the railroad industry trying to shoot down airplanes." Ken Waagner

"Stay ahead of the culture by creating the culture." Hugh MacLeod

Today's image: Minimal Bird House by Fred Winston. Killer capture. Thanks for sharing.

The 2009 Conclave Awards Luncheon, Friday, July 17th. Presentation of the Rockwell Award to Kipper McGee. Following are my prepared remarks.

I come before you today with three things on my mind.

One. Thank you for being here, for supporting the Conclave and the brash, counter-intuitive concepts of learning and sharing. No matter what others might be saying about the attendance here today, you should feel good. The A students, the cool kids, the innovators, the winners in life are always out numbered. You're clearly out numbered by the mediocre and those not here today. Take heart. By being here you are taking control of your destiny, not just running your mouth. Being here today you've shown initiative, taken action and I applaud you.

Two. A message to all the students and young broadcasters here today. Seven words to remember ... Killer career advice from a banjo player ... Be so good they can't ignore you. The words of Steve Martin. Be so good they can't ignore you.

My suggestion is getting that good means having the discipline to pay attention, careful attention. To become known for noticing and acting on the important when the urgent is crushing you.

Kipper McGee always pays attention. He was paying attention when he noticed Gregg Strassel, John Reynolds, Bernie Laur, Mark Potter, Randy Cook, Bill Shannon, Joel McCrae, Tim Fox and, God bless him, Dan Kieley.

Here's the back story on Kipper. Born in the bratwurst capitol of the world, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Kipper first hit the air on Rockin mono WVLC, the carrier current student station of Lakeland College where he started as a jock and went on to become the PD and later GM. Then he was off to his first commercial adventure, jocking at Fun Lovin 15Q in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

Then his plans changed. That St. Paul guy, F. Scott Fitzgerald said "You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say." Well, Kipper had something to say about management, about being a leader. So he took his first PD job in Waterloo, Iowa at KFMW, FM 108, and what followed, as you know, was a storied career in management including his most recent manager's gig - WLS in Chicago.

Kipper always pays attention to fostering creativity. Ever curious, his is an insatiable appetite for learning. His recent passions include all things digital. Blogging, Twitter, he walks the talk. By the way, he's also received his digital certification from RAB. Let me encourage you to do the same and take advantage of the wealth of RAB online resources. Kipper is always on the creative leading edge. It's a surprise to no one that knows him that he is currently the go-to guy for FM talk radio, a format he has long championed.

As Theodore Levitt taught us - Creativity is thinking new things. Innovation is doing new things. Kipper has a proven track record of both, thinking and doing, and doing both with distinction.

Kipper is known for paying attention to solving the problems at hand. He constantly asks the two most important questions: Why? What needs to be done? Kipper understands...it's not the quality of the idea but the quality of the execution. Effective solutions are to be the most prized.

While some may view Kipper's now famous Big 89 Rewinds of 2007 and 2008 featuring Larry Lujack, Fred Winston, Lyle Dean, John Records Landecker, Tom Kent and others as nothing more than pure nostalgia plays, they would be wrong. A careful analysis reveals these events to be astute brand awareness initiatives. FYI - the Big 89 Rewinds were history making stuff delivering the highest single day ratings on a holiday Monday. A 2.5 rating compared to the previous historical average on holiday Mondays which was a 0.8

Kipper has always paid attention to the value, the important and critical nature, of integrity. The value of doing the right thing even if nobody is watching or nobody cares.

Kipper has always answered the call, whether it was teaching, coaching, mentoring others, serving on the Conclave board, or most recently, serving as the chair for his college's upcoming 150th anniversary celebration. Kipper is known as a person that makes things happen, an effective executive that always makes a positive, lasting difference.

Time for that third thing. You remember. I had three things on my mind today.

Please join me now in paying attention, attention earned, attention deserved. Join me please in paying a proper and long over due tribute to a fine broadcaster and a great gentleman. Congrats, kudos, cheers and bravos to Barbara's husband, one of our 2009 Rockwell Award honorees, Kipper McGee.