Glenn Beck Blogs: Management on the Fly

Television host and conservative pundit Glenn Beck challenges everything from politics to political correctness on his hour-long CNN Headline News show. Beck, however, has become a business franchise of his own, with a radio show, website, speaking tours, bestselling books, and a comedy magazine, Fusion Magazine, that he publishes. Beck will spend Thursday blogging about his business and yours. One day. One place: Portfolio.com.

I'm a self-educated guy. I certainly have less official business schooling than anyone who has ever written anything for Portfolio-and probably less than anyone who has ever read it, delivered it, or flipped through the February 2008 issue because the picture of the hamburger on the cover looked so good. (Yum! Hardees!)

But I've been able to put together a pretty successful media business (at least so far) mostly because I try to stick to a few basic principles as closely as possible.

I remember reading an interview with Bill Cosby around the beginning of The Cosby Show. He was asked about older projects of his that turned out to be less than successful, and he said the reason for their failure was that he was constantly changing them based on outside influences. It was with The Cosby Show that he decided he wouldn't compromise. He would live or die on his own vision. If it failed, he'd have no one else to blame, and at least he'd know there were no unanswered questions. It took me years to actually implement that sort of discipline into my own career, and I still struggle to this day.
(Is it weird that I'm still thinking about that Hardees hamburger?)

Anyway, after decades of trial, error, error and more error, I realized that it was important to surround myself with the most competent and creative people I can find, and try to make them so happy they'll never leave. Once I have found someone who meets that criteria, and who also can buy into and execute my vision, I do my best to let go and get out of their way. (I still have to maintain final veto rights. It's fun to at least occasionally play dictator.)

I also strongly believe in the velvet handcuffs philosophy of employment. Our company offers health care free of charge to every full time employee. (Notice how we depend on ourselves to provide healthcare, not the government). We promote from within. We let people try things that they've never attempted before. We let smart people learn on the job, and look for better ways to get things done. And we try to pay well enough that our employees buy expensive things, and then they're afraid to leave. (Insert evil laugh here.)

But as a small businessman, I'm making half of it up as I go along. When our phone screener Sarah asked what our maternity policy was, I tried really hard to act like I had any idea. I said, "Ummmm...three months paid leave?" Later, the guy who runs HR informed me that this isn't the traditional way of creating such policies. Who knew? See--it pays to have good people to tell you things like that.

Above all else, I've tried to create a business that I would want to work for. We employ everyone from conservative male Atkins dieters to liberal female vegetarians. Some don't agree with my politics, but they know we have the same goals. To create a great place to work, that produces a quality product, and does so in a way we can all be proud of.

I would go on, but you'll have to excuse me. I'm going to Hardees.