Industry pundits often refer to executives who sit atop organizations as business leaders. I think we're much too generous with that term. Many of them should more properly be titled, managers. In some cases, they are superior managers… but they aren't leaders. People follow leaders because they choose to. They follow managers because they're paid to. Superior managers can create successful companies, but leaders create great ones. Our industry lost a true leader this week, with the retirement of Fox's Jon Nesvig.
I've known John for 25 years. Our relationship has been both professional and personal. He embodies those core qualities of leadership. He is a man of integrity and humility. He treats everyone even-handedly whether you're an assistant buyer at an agency or a CMO at a client. He is a champion for both his company and his sales team. He never asks others to do something he would not do himself. Most importantly, he has won the trust of all those with whom he interacts.
There is no guile with Jon. He doesn't play politics. His word is his bond… even on those rare occasions when he may have miscalculated a CPM to an agency's advantage. He has earned the respect of those above him… including Rupert Murdoch. He has earned the respect of those who negotiate across the table from him. He has earned the respect and admiration of those who work for him. The Fox sales team stays with Fox in large part because of Jon, and he has attracted some great talent.
Jon never hesitated to lead an upfront market… which he did more often than not. And those agencies that followed him into some not-so-well-defined markets did so, because they trusted his judgment. In a business, which by its nature encourages posturing, some deception and devious tactics, Jon would very quickly cut to the bottom line in his dealings with most senior agency execs.
As we ease out of these turbulent economic times, we will begin to more readily discern those companies with capable managers at the helm and those with leaders. Many people in our industry were just happy not to have been downsized over the past three years. Minimal (if any) raises or bonuses have been the norm for most companies and that has fostered pent-up frustration and resentment among many workers. As we finally see some movement in the job market, keep an eye on which companies don't lose their employees in droves and which ones do… that will be the indicator which companies have leaders, not managers, at their helm. My bet is Fox will suffer little personnel turnover, and that's because Jon Nesvig's final contribution as a leader was to leave his organization in very capable hands.
Steve Grubbs is President and founder of Second Act Media consultancy. Second Act Media is an advisor to companies working in the media, marketing, entertainment and sports industries. Steve can be reached at steve.grubbs@secondactmedia.com.
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