I’m guilty of it. You’ve probably experienced it. Without thought…you reacted. Causing my weakness are emails or text messages. If I can’t see your eyes or hear the emotion in your voice, everything shared must be an attack.
Inside the pages of Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, Seth Godin exposes the identity of quick reactors: politicians, CEO’s, office department heads, parents attempting to control what teens do today and 99.6% of the people stuck in rush hour traffic.
Reacting to a situation comes without thought.
While growing up Mom ordered me to count to ten; it happened so often I can do it in several different languages.
Godin doesn’t say, “Don’t move an inch!”
The lesson he teaches is to know the difference between reacting and responding.
In the old days of radio we elected to react to competing stations that claimed they played more music, featured less talk or gave away bigger prizes and more money.
“We’re number one with today’s hottest hits!” “We play 24 songs in a row!” “Go ahead spin the dial…they’re playing commercials and we’re playing music.”
Is that supposed to convince an innocent listener to stay plugged in? No wonder the new millennium generation turned to the Ipod. Rather than reacting in the 1980’s and 90’s radio should’ve enhanced the opportunity by responding with less bragging and more community involvement.
Radio is about relationship. Reacting is the metal wedge that leads to separation. The introduction of emails, texting and Face Book has opened the door for radio talent to respond to listeners. To reconnect with a larger than life group of wanderers wanting nothing more from their radio station than a reason to believe that this moment is going to be much better than ten minutes ago.
Seth Godin believes that initiating is extremely difficult. Leaders see things others refuse to recognize. In essence they cause events that force reaction and not response. Leaders create change…its how you react or respond that generates success or failure.
Research shows consumers can’t afford the gas required to drive all over town. Target responded by adding groceries to their selection of items to buy. Convenience stores have chosen to react to the recession; instead of working with consumers who’ve dumped their entire check into their tank they’ve done nothing to encourage us to come inside except briefly lower the cost of power shots, sports drinks or cheaper than Starbucks coffee.
Do you react or respond to more work being dumped on you at a place of business fighting to keep its doors open?
Where do you locate solitude when it feels like the employer wants more than you can deliver?
Who is the person on the receiving end when reaction takes the majority of the pie?
How can you be leader in a world with too many chiefs?
The more questions you ask…the better the view of the valley floor. Respond to your bad day by gifting your mind, body and soul with a walk through the neighborhood, a fresh book to read, a place to draw scribbles and doodles or take pictures of something natural like a giant beetle or spider.
Reacting is going home to pick a fight or feeding your hunger with ice cream and other sweets usually ending up being alcohol or drugs.
Reacting is what we do when confronted by an unexpected copperhead snake. 99.8% of homeowners kill them then complain about the bugs, mice and other creatures that naturally got out of hand because the zoo keeper was taken out by the human mafia.
I will always believe in you first…
arroecollins@clearchannel.com
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