On the heels of a recent post about interest in radio among high school and college students comes a New York Times article written by Tom Agan. “Why Innovators Get Better With Age” speaks to a different perspective on youthful hires.
As Agan points out, the move by companies to populate their cubicles with younger people has a lot of upside – less salary and health care expense lead the way.
But as he also notes, “Less gray hair sharply reduces an organization’s innovation potential, which over the long term can greatly outweigh short-term gains.”
It takes time for great ideas and innovation to distillate and mature, and that’s where a more senior staff can play a major role. In a legacy business like radio, seasoned pros with a deep appreciation of what’s around the corner are worth their weight in gold.
A case in point occurred last week when 84 year-old Martin Cooper won the $100,000 Marconi Prize for his contributions to inventing what we now know as the cell phone. Cooper’s original invention – the Motorola DynaTAC – was first demonstrated in 1973. It weighed 2.5 pounds and had more to do with attempting to provide competition for AT&T in the burgeoning cellular arena than it did inventing a whole new way of communicating.
(Isn’t it ironic, by the way, that an award named after the inventor of radio is being bestowed on the guy who led the way toward cell phones, and eventually smartphones – enabling consumers to listen to the radio on these quickly becoming ubiquitous devices?)
This Marconi Prize strongly suggests that it takes time for great inventions to percolate, and for society to understand their contributions. It should also be noted that Cooper was not a twentysomething, hoodie-wearing nerd when he started to develop this technology. In fact, he was in his 40s during the peak of his creative years with cell phones.
Just like great sports teams, a balance of rookies and veterans usually produces the best combination of winning. And so it is at most companies, too. I have seen this in action here at jacAPPS and Jacobs Media where our two enterprises often feed off one another, informing each about how to grow and thrive.
Radio companies are no different. They can only evolve with a mix of entry level enthusiasm combined with the perspective of seasoned pros (even if some have already joined AARP).
A touch of gray opens the door for new ideas and innovation.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
- Radio + Thanksgiving = Gratitude - November 27, 2024
- Is It Quittin’ Time For SiriusXM? - November 26, 2024
- Radio, It Oughta Be A Crime - November 25, 2024
Leave a Reply