Great Advice

Last week in honor of Father’s Day, we asked for you to share the best advice you have ever received from your father, father-figure, manager or mentor. Dennis Gwiazdon, VP/Market Manager, Cromwell Media Group – Nashville shared the best advice he ever received:

When I first started in Radio as a salesperson, I worked for a single FM station in Sacramento. The GM was a smart, energetic guy, about nine years older than me. He former military officer who also handled the sales manager duties. As our business began to grow (and we added another station), it became apparent to me that he was going to need help overseeing our sales efforts. I approached him about becoming the local sales manager. His response shaped the way I have approached leadership ever since and I have used it countless times with others who have expressed a desire to move up the ladder.

His reply to my request was simply this:

"If you want to become a manager, I will support that endeavor. But you must first earn that promotion from your peers, not just from me. From this point forward, I am going to observe how much you're willing to lead by example, unselfishly share your experience and skills with others and build the trust you'll need to be their eventual boss, the person they'll look to for advice and guidance. If you're successful in those efforts and when it's announced that you'll become their manager, they will embrace that decision because, in their minds, you had already earned the title by earning their respect."

A few months later, I became a sales manager and that promotion launched a lifelong career in Radio. Leadership is something you earn; it is not simply a title on your business card. Great advice for those who aspire to be leaders.

Thanks for sharing, Dennis.

If you’d like to share the best advice you every received, email me at Jeff.Schmidt@rab.com