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I have always appreciated Howard Stern’s sense of humour and the way he connects with his audience by sharing personal stories and poking fun at his staff and Wack Pack on air. The fact that he can entice a celebrity guest to share something about themselves that no other interviewer would ever be able to extract is pretty remarkable too.
For almost 40 years, Stern has pushed the barriers of comedy in radio. But more importantly, he has built a successful career and brand, created a loyal team, developed a cult following for his radio show and gained huge success in the mainstream thanks to his stint as a popular judge on America’s Got Talent.
To me, what Stern has achieved is nothing short of inspiring and he has realized his success by being fearless and innovative in his field. His journey—much like my own—has had many ups and downs along the way, but he is always learning, growing and evolving himself and his organization.
So when I mentioned the idea of writing an article about how Stern has been an inspiration for me in building the corporate culture at Delvinia, I received a lot interesting responses. From those who have never actually listened to his show, and hold the opinion that he is vulgar, sexist and only talks about nude women, I received a very quizzical and unimpressed look. But from those who understand how innovative and forward-thinking Stern really is, I received a much more affirming smile.
Stern has become a master at being real. And he has built a team that has turned being real into a successful radio empire. He not only talks about his own shortcomings on air, he has taught his staff to own up to their mistakes and to admit their character flaws on air too. This has built authenticity within his team and it’s evident that their trust in him makes them feel safe to reveal their own vulnerabilities.
Clearly his style and culture did not evolve overnight. It has been nurtured over the years from when he was simply a shock jock to now having over 20 million listeners and a lucrative decade-long business relationship with Sirius Radio.
Much like Stern’s team, Delvinia’s culture is a reflection of the personalities within our team. It is also based on authenticity and trust—and that stems from the accountability, transparency and communication within our company.
I have encouraged my team to be fearless, to remove any filters and say what they are truly thinking, and to trust their instincts when they are outside of their comfort zones. This isn’t easy and it takes a lot of work and patience. Encouraging people to say what they are actually thinking in a business setting is much like Stern having his staff talk about their personal lives on air. The result is a willingness to embrace change and uncertainty and to tackle challenges where no clear solutions exist.
I encourage our team to be authentic with each other and with our clients and partners, no matter the outcome. Whether they don’t have an immediate answer to a question, have encountered a problem with a project, or feel that a client is going down the wrong path, my team is not afraid to accept responsibility for the situation at hand and they communicate transparently to provide our clients with a real response. As long as they are accountable for their actions, we will always have their backs.
Like Stern, I believe humour is very important in creating a successful corporate culture. You need to laugh at your own character flaws and accept everyone else for theirs. But most of all, like Stern, I believe that in order to build a truly successful corporate culture, you need to respect everyone, build their confidence in being who they are, and appreciate the importance of diversity within the team, whether it is race, religion, gender, age, or sexuality.
Listening to Stern every morning in my car, I am always impressed by the fact that no matter how much he makes fun of his staff, they understand that if a situation can be used to entertain their audience, it is all about the success of the show. Even when the audience reacts in a negative way, Stern takes it on the chin and uses that failure to add to the entertainment value. The authenticity and trust within their corporate culture is never compromised.
That’s something we continue to instill at Delvinia. Our team has come to consider failure as a learning experience and that belief is the foundation for innovation. This philosophy enables everyone to know exactly where they stand with each other, to be able to identify and assess the best options to address business challenges, and to possess the humility that their sense of accomplishment does not come from individual success but from working together as a team to achieve the organization’s goals.
So, the next time you have a chance to listen to The Howard Stern Show, look beyond the pranks, ridicule and inappropriate comments and think about how he has been able to realize his vision of creating a successful sustainable business with employees that are loyal and are helping the business evolve and grow.
Adam Froman is CEO of Delvinia
