Is It Possible That Two Things Can Be Correct At The Same Time?

It’s hard to imagine, in this polarized country that we live in, that both sides of an argument might have merit, right? In politics, you’re either right or left. Religion? Not much middle ground there! Media beliefs and viewing/consumption…man, that’s about as “right” and “not right” as you can get currently!

However, a circumstance arose this week that had me asking those questions again.

Eric Church cancelled a sold-out concert in San Antonio because, as he very passionately stated, he wanted to do something other than perform that night. He wanted to go see his beloved UNC basketball team play Duke in the Final Four.

It’s was a very passionate topic. Many people believed that he did an incredibly selfish and disrespectful thing to his fans by bailing out and leaving his “Church Choir” holding the bag on non-refundable hotels, airline tickets and blowing up their plans completely (I firmly reside in that camp, for what it’s worth)!

OR

Did a guy who works his ass off for his fans just say, “this is so incredibly important to me, that I’m gonna be selfish and do it”? (Which he readily admitted in his cancellation note). Many people respected his honest admission of his needs and desire to go to the game, although one could make the argument that, the fact that the game IS on national TV Saturday night, likely didn’t allow him an “illness” excuse.

It's my belief that EC said, “I’m doing this” and his fans, arguably some of the most passionate in country music, will “get over it” or “it’ll blow over.”

This is one of those situations where likely both sides have some merit and it’s been proven on social media and station Facebook pages all week. Many people understood that this is likely one of the biggest games in recent college basketball memory and he should have a right to “do what he wants.”

Many others thought it was an insanely selfish decision that will lose him fans and supporters. Imagine being a family that spent hundreds or thousands of dollars and looked forward to this night for months, only to have the rug pulled out from them so the artist can go watch hoops. As one post read “when you’re an adult, you live up to your responsibilities.“

How about how this relates to our business??? Leaders at radio clusters should consider all of this and the fact that two things can be correct at the same time.

• Employees may want the option to work from home in a hybrid work environment post covid, while employers need them in office to build teamwork and esprit de corp.
• Sellers may not want to shove a sales package down the throats of their clients constantly, all while the management team has goals to meet and needs them pitched to everyone.
• Programmers may need more than 9 seconds to relate to their audience realistically in a break, yet program directors know that consumers have short attention spans—and so does PPM.

There are many situations where both may be right at the same time and great employees and true leaders grasp that.

In Eric’s situation, he chose one direction over another. Time will tell what happens with his fan base, but one thing is a definite in all these situations - Good or bad, you must live with the ramifications of your decisions.

Let’s try a bit to be less polarized and more understanding that, yes, two things can be right at the same time.

Any of these situations sound familiar to you? When’s the last time you saw this present itself in your building?

Looking for a team to help you understand that and more, reach out to John Shomby or Dave Paulus anytime at Radio’s Fresh Eyes. We know it because we’ve lived it.