These two phrases were shared with me by a close friend a few weeks back as we debated what transforms a manager into a leader. Ask yourself, are you the one who walks into a room and thinks “Here I Am” or are you thinking “There You Are”?
As you would expect, there is a huge difference between the two. The “Here I Am” mindset is focused totally inward: How am I being perceived? How am I doing with respect to my career? Do my employees like me? Conversely, “There You Are” focuses outward: How are YOU doing? How is YOUR career going? How can I help YOU?
I really believe that the two phrases clearly distinguish the difference between a manager and a LEADER! My AI “assistant” sees the two this way – Managers focus on executing tasks, maintaining stability, and controlling resources to meet established goals, acting as administrators of the status quo. Leaders focus on setting a long-term vision, inspiring people, driving change, and fostering innovation. While managers rely on positional authority (“Here I Am”), leaders influence others through trust and shared purpose (“There You Are”).
A few weeks back, as I watched the Seattle Seahawks celebrate their Super Bowl win, their head coach, Mike Macdonald (no, NOT the Doobie Brother!) was handed the championship trophy for the first time, and he immediately handed it to his Quarterback, Sam Darnold, and running back and game MVP, Kenneth Walker, then went to the back of the podium giving them the spotlight – an obvious “There You Are”. Leadership at its best.
That same spirit of selfless visibility is exactly what’s missing from some of our own front offices.
This “Here I Am” mindset is, most likely, a primary driver of our stagnation in this industry. When managers become too timid to take risks because they’re worried about their own standing—or worse, termination—the focus changes. They become so wrapped up in their own survival that they lose sight of how their staff is actually performing, or more importantly, how they are feeling.
We talk constantly about trying to lure a new generation into this business, but Gen Z isn’t looking for authority; they’re looking for someone who cares. They want to be seen, heard, and mentored by someone authentic. If we stay focused on “How will this make ME look?”, we’ve already lost them. “Here I AM” takes over – we focus inward, we magnify our own fears. If we focus outward—on them—we magnify our future, and they want to be a part of that.
As we start setting our sights on 2030 and a new decade, we keep hearing that radio is at a definite crossroads and its future begins and ends with leadership—from ownership, to market management, to program management, etc. The more we recognize who else is “in the room”, the better chance we have of leading a new generation into this business and eventually turning it over to them confidently.
The question is: when you walk into your station tomorrow, who will you be looking for?
