Radio gives us plenty of opportunities to compare: ratings, market size, salaries, time slots, awards, social followers. Those measures can tell us something about our work. The trouble starts when we let them tell us what we’re worth.
It touches everyone in this business: the personality wondering why someone else got the morning show, the PD watching another station win, and the veteran wondering why a former colleague is still employed while they’re looking for work. “Can I measure up?” is an understandable question. But before we answer it, maybe we should ask another: “Whose measuring stick am I using?”
I’m not encouraging anyone to abandon ambition or ignore performance. We should want to improve. We should have goals. But someone else’s career should not become the verdict on our own. That’s easier to write than to practice. I’ve had to work at it myself. Here are a few things that have helped:
Keep people close who know you beyond your résumé.
Mentors and advisors can help you see progress you’re overlooking—and challenge you when comparison becomes an excuse. Choose people who will tell you the truth, not simply reassure you. I have two individuals I communicate with at least weekly. I depend on their perspective and honesty. They know enough about me to recognize when I need encouragement and when I need a push. We all need people who can help us see past our own frustration.
Give your identity more than one place to live.
Being a parent, spouse, friend, neighbor, volunteer, or coach matters. When your job carries your entire identity, every professional disappointment feels like a judgment on your whole life. When my position was eliminated several years ago, I began to realize there was more to me than what I did for a living. My ability to coach, encourage, and help people grow didn’t disappear with my job. I could carry those things into whatever came next. Ask yourself what you bring to people’s lives that goes beyond your title. That belongs to you, wherever you work.
Practice celebrating someone else’s win.
Congratulate them. Share their work. Mean it. Their promotion doesn’t diminish your talent. Their award doesn’t erase your contribution. You can be happy for them and still want more for yourself. I’m not sure who feels better when I do this—the other person or me. But I know it helps me move past comparison and appreciate the person behind the accomplishment. It’s hard to build a supportive network if you’re quietly keeping score against everyone in it.
Compare your work with your earlier work.
This is a game changer because it gives you something concrete to examine. Listen to an aircheck from a year ago. Think about how you handle a difficult conversation now. Are you better prepared, more curious, more confident, more useful? Have you become a better listener or a more effective leader? Progress deserves attention even before it earns recognition. Give yourself credit for improvement, then identify what still needs work. That’s a comparison you can actually do something with.
Pay attention to what feeds the feeling.
If scrolling through promotions, awards, and career announcements consistently leaves you discouraged, take a break. You’re seeing an announcement, not the full story of someone’s career. You may know very little about the setbacks, sacrifices, or uncertainty that came before it. Staying informed should help you participate in the business, not make you dread your place in it.
Sometimes comparison reveals something you really do want. That can be useful. If another person’s opportunity stings, examine why. Maybe it’s time to ask for more responsibility, improve a skill, or pursue a change. Let that feeling lead to a decision instead of resentment.
Before you spend another week wondering whether you measure up to someone else, name one thing you want to improve in your own work—and take the first step. Then congratulate somebody who’s doing well. There’s room for their success and your next step.
