By Fred Deane

B Mack

Brian Mack has never been averse to changes in his life or his career. He’s always been a willing participant in facing new challenges and new pursuits.  He’s made several moves during his long Clear Channel/iHeartMedia tenure and each of them proved to be an addition to the building block approach to his career.
           Challenges, changes, and new pursuits are necessary goals for anyone seeking to constantly evolve and progress personally and professionally.
           What follows is a dialogue between Brian and I about these values and qualities of one’s life and profession, and the general effects they can have on any of us as we travel along the continuum of our own career paths and life’s journeys.

(FD) During 2022, I had several discussions with programmers about the lifestyle and preference demands of younger gen groups.  You and I have had a few discussions about this very topic in the past as well, and it consistently leads to a self-evaluation process of ourselves and the business environment we work in.  Do you think corporate America truly understands Millennials and Gen Zers?

(BM) Honestly, I found that many people criticize Millennials for not being good “people” people, and that they don’t make good connections with people because they hide behind screens most of the time. But I’m constantly learning that there are some valuable lessons to acquire from aspects of their lifestyle that are worth paying attention to, if not adopting.

(FD) In what way?

(BM) The primary thing I’ve learned is that they just don’t do things they don’t want to do.  They don’t subscribe to the old school methodology of traditional values that previous generations grew up with, like getting a job and holding it as long as you can with the intent on saving money for retirement.  These are generational values that were always passed down from parents to children.
          Technology and its effects on current younger generations is turning that ideology upside down because the reality is younger demos believe they can reinvent themselves multiple times and decide to evolve and address different passions they may have as occupational pursuits at any point in their lives.  When they share any newfound passions with others in their peer group via various social platforms, it motivates a generational movement to this type of career/life value system.

How has this philosophy influenced your life?

I discovered that I couldn’t imagine my life today if I didn’t acquire some of these behaviors on my own. It allowed me to make big changes in my life both personally and professionally.
           It’s a very personal decision we all make on our own. I believe when you’re in a position a little too long where challenges are static, eventually you become less creative and stimulated and more stagnant. I’m not suggesting this would be the case for everyone, but I believe you can get more out of yourself by constantly challenging yourself and evolving.  Eventually one may find a stagnant job unappealing, and you start to think the problem is the environment. What I’ve discovered is the problem isn’t the environment, it’s really you.

This philosophy addresses to be hyper-focused and sensitive to personal ever-changing needs and being proactive about your position in life and career when you sense this discontent within yourself…but the issue is self-recognition of this phenomena. Have you experienced this process during your career and or life?

For years I spent wasted energy being angry and frustrated with the environment I was in, and it’s really your inner soul telling you you’re done with this challenge.  This challenge isn’t interesting to you anymore.  Maybe you need to move to a different place.  Usually that’s a refreshing experience when moving to different cities and experiencing different cultures and job challenges.  I’ve always found that moving to different cities was a whitewashing of your soul, giving yourself the opportunity to build new roots, meet new people, and build new routines.
           Everyone has different priorities in their lives and I’m not suggesting constant movement is the solution for everyone, but when you apply the elements of change to even a current situation, it will prompt you to create change (in some way) and evolve by presenting yourself with new personal and professional challenges.

Younger demos seem to have no issues at all with this mentality, but if you aren’t of this mindset, it could also lead to discontent with one’s situation.

When I was feeling stagnant my life probably was evolving, I just didn’t notice it.  Sometimes the environment around you is changing and you’re just not aware of it. It could possibly be because you have gotten stagnant in a position, and I think that’s a good portion of why people get burned out.  They’re seeking change (consciously or subconsciously) but they keep finding themselves in the same position in life and doing things over and over again. Stability, safety, and comfort zone triats all could lead to instability regarding how you feel about your life in general.

That’s a profound statement. Sounds paradoxical, but it really isn’t.  It’s truth to wisdom.

I’ve learned from life coaches that you can either be the thermostat or the thermometer.  The outside world impacts the thermometer and changes the environment, whereas the thermostat changes the environment.
           I’ve found it’s beneficial to live your life more like a thermostat. Very few of us got this direction in life whether it would be from parents or teachers, so you need to discover it for yourself when you’re searching for growth from unconventional sources.
           The flip side of this is having the ability to recognize when you’re working for a very good company.  I love working for iHeart and collaborating with the people I work with.  It’s been an ongoing and stimulating experience.  It’s all very personal and you need to recognize the signs of your own professional satisfaction or atrophy and realize that you can create change in your life and your role with a company with collaborative pursuits in mind. You can also evolve within a company if you’re passionate about the company.
           iHeart has given me a great opportunity to grow and in my most recent  position I’m able to help so many more people which is very fulfilling.
           There are risks with everything. There are risks to staying in the same position as well as relocation risks.  In the end, it’s not about all the material things we acquire in our lives, it’s about fulfillment and the opportunity to feel good about what you do every day.

Fred Deane is the Founder & CEO of Deane Media Solutions, a firm designed as a medium and pathway of productive and meaningful idea interactions among the multi-media and music industries. Deane has been serving our industry for over four decades, dedicating his career to challenging himself as well as associates, and being a devoted advocate for the radio medium. His academic background includes law, economics, and musicology. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor for several Philadelphia area universities, instructing at the undergraduate and graduate levels.