To use a phrase from a news article linked here, "Hey NBC, what were you thinking???"
There is absolutely nothing more critical to success in the corporate world, or certainly even in the personal world, than trust. It is a backbone of what creates real synergy, a bedrock of teamwork, and a core point of proving leadership.
With the hiring of former RNC Chairman Ronna McDaniel as a paid analyst for their news platform, NBC News/Universal/Comcast (take your pick), delivered a rousing slap in the face resounding through their organization. In one mighty swoop of returning a favor, (which we'll dive into momentarily), the company has shattered any illusions their employees had about a reputable organization that cares about it's image and the welfare of those who believed in what the network stood for.
I say "believed" because after speaking with dozens of friends and colleagues employed by NBC News, not a single one said they would ever trust anything from their management, ever again.
Harsh? Well earned. Hyperbole? Not in this day and age where fostering the trust of your worked, your employees, your team, has never been more important and more critical to corporate and individual success.
The hiring of McDaniel was nothing more than payback. Years ago, NBC was desperate for a ratings gain during a US Presidential election cycle. They turned to McDaniel and the RNC, on their fiscal hands and knees seeking to get the rights to a Presidential debate. The deal was cut by those C-Level execs at NBC with McDaniel, relationships were formed, the needed televised debate was secured, and favors were granted that would one day have to be paid off.
Which brings us to the present.
There are two betrayals at work here, both of which will ripple thru the once venerable NBC News and their related news programming for a very long time.
Comcast, the parent company of NBC, has been on a cost cutting tear of late, putting people on notice there was no more money to be had at the trough, cutting jobs, scaling back incentives, leaving dedicated professionals to fend for their themselves. Apparently, there was still $300,000 per year for McDaniel as a paid "analyst".
Which dovetails into why Comcast/NBC would seek to sully their news product with someone who has been exposed as a political propagandist, an election denier, and a supporter of the cause that led to the January 6th attack on Washington DC and American democracy itself?
For our purposes here, let's attempt to stay out of the obvious roiling of political beliefs and other connected inevitable rage.
This is not a commentary about politics, political beliefs or political discourse. This is about trust. The trust that must exist between management and staff.
It will be difficult, in some cases impossible, for anyone at the staff level to ever trust anything that emanates from the maw of Comcast/NBC management again. They feel betrayed, abandoned, and basically little more than refuse that can be discarded on a moment's whim. Another topic for another day is how the cultivated and smart news consumer will be, knowing that lies and clickbait are more important to NBC News that actual journalism and the search for truth.
Every decision made by management of any size company will have immediate ripple effects through the entire organization. People want to be valued, want their voices to be heard, and most important, they want to be part of something of which they can be proud.
Abandon that trust, and you will abandon most hopes of success. It is in that leadership role you will be judged, and the adjudication by staff and the general public will be a decisive strike born of betrayal.
Comentarii