I’ve been spending a lot of time lately listening to the local ESPN Radio affiliate - which is odd because I’m not an avid sports fan. However, I do consider myself fairly well versed in talk radio. I spent ten years in radio and worked in a number of different formats, including news/talk. So, I find myself listening to talk radio through both my “radio filter” and “leadership filter”.
Two hosts in particular have jumped out at me for the examples they provide for both good and bad leadership behaviors. The hosts in question are Colin Cowherd and Freddie Coleman. My critiques of these guys have nothing to do with their sports knowledge - they are both super smart and have dazzling command of their subject matter. And, in their defense, I’m basing my critiques only on what I hear on the radio. In “real life” both of these gentlemen may be completely different than their on-air personas. But on the air one host models many classic “good boss” behaviors while the other models many “bad boss” behaviors. Now, Let’s go to the whiteboard to break it down….
Colin Cowherd: I am regularly amazed at how dismissive and derisive he is to his callers. Maybe that’s part of his schtick - but it doesn’t come across as “entertaining” as it does with other talk-show hosts - it just comes off as Cowherd being a jerk. He comes off as very arrogant and condescending. I had a boss like that once. This guy was very smart - probably a genuine genius - but was his own worst enemy. His direct reports found him so arrogant and abrasive that they avoided talking to him. He talked a good game about having an “open door policy”, “empowering his employees”, yada yada yada - but he was ultimately just unpleasant to work for. Because he was so dismissive and even demeaning at times his people were mostly focused on just keeping him off their backs not on moving the organization forward- which was a shame really, because this guy was very bright and talented. Again, he was his own worst enemy.
Freddie Coleman: Freddie is like the anti-Cowherd. He has a way of making even the “dumb callers” feel like they made a contribution. He is polite and expresses appreciation and I have never heard him insult a caller or tell him to “go back to flipping burgers”. His show in general seems geared toward actually seeking out his audience’s opinions rather than using them as a springboard to launch into a diatribe or put-down. Like Cowherd, Coleman has an encyclopedic knowledge about sports - but he never comes across as the arrogant “know-it-all” that Cowherd does. I’ve had bosses like Coleman too. They are the ones that encourage input and value an exchange of ideas - even those ideas that might contradict their own.
As I stated at the beginning, I’m basing these observations only on what I hear on a radio show. These guys may or may not be anything like the way they sound, but I try to find “learning moments” all around me - even on sports talk radio! These are two guys at the top of their game professionally, but in terms of leadership styles which one would you rather work for? Put me on team Freddie!
