Role in Emmis
Individual Middle Senior
Behavioral Attributes
Contributor Manager Executive
Why Needed?
High-Priority Core
Exhibit 4.7. Competency Linkage to Culture
1. Innovation and flexibility
2. Passion to reach a higher
standard
3. Personal integrity
4. Informed decision making
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
• To keep up with pace of changein industry
and outmaneuver the giants/gorillas
• A new innovation standard
for all aspects
of business (not just product/content)
• Consistent with “out of the box” element
of Emmis culture
• To help Emmis compete and get to the next
level
• Consistent with “never get smug”—“be
passionate about what you do” values
• Consistent with theme
“Sets a new standard
for performance and innovation”
• Maintain and strengthen a fundamental
Emmis principle/commandment
• Differentiates Emmis with employees/
customers (quality people and service)
• Consistent with Emmis research expertise
• Needed to discipline decisions more broadly
KEY ATTRIBUTES FOR EMMIS
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5. Accountability for
performance
6. Teamwork and collaboration
7. Turns vision into action
8. Delivers the Emmis customer
experience
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
• To improve overall results and deliver for
shareholders
• To be fair to those who really deliver/add
value and attract/retain top performers
• To support sharing of ideas, practices,
people across organizational lines
• Consistent with value for treating others
with respect/having fun while working
• Builds on current value of buy-in to shared
Emmis vision
• Takes it the next step to ensuring it
translates into aligned action/execution
• Responsive to felt need for sharper focus
in the business
• Create the Emmis customer experience—
partner to deliver results/success
• Quality service and people
—differentiates
Emmis from competition
Role in Emmis
Individual Middle Senior
Behavioral Attributes
Contributor Manager Executive
Why Needed?
Exhibit 4.7. (
Continued
)
KEY ATTRIBUTES FOR EMMIS
(Continued
)
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9. Motivates and manages
individuals
10. Builds and leads teams
11. Recruits, develops, and
retains talent
12. Manages resources
effectively
13. Strategic perspective
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
• Consistent with values/commandments—
“have fun, get people in the game”
• Maintain the personal touch emphasis
within Emmis culture
• Be the employer of choice
• Creates climate of teamwork and interaction
in unit/across units
• Leverages people resources effectively—
working together vs. lone rangers
• Required for better results and executing
allied strategy
• Reinforce/strengthen
quality people
—a
differentiator for Emmis
• Contribute to financial vitality of the
business
• To prioritize and focus use of key resources
• Business-unit heads need to understand
their own challenges/opportunities and
chart a course for success
• Jeff can’t be the only visionary
Managerial/Executive
Role in Emmis
Individual Middle Senior
Behavioral Attributes
Contributor Manager Executive
Why Needed?
Exhibit 4.7. Competency Linkage to Culture (
Continued
)
KEY ATTRIBUTES FOR EMMIS
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ATTRIBUTE LINKAGE TO EMMIS COMMANDMENTS/RULES F
OR MANAGERS
Attribute
Emmis Commandments
Emmis Manager Rules
• Is flexible and keeps an open mind
(Commandment #10)
• Believes in self and ability to make things
happen (Commandment #5)
• Is passionate about what he or she does
(Commandment #2)
• Never gets smug or complacent
(Commandment #7)
• Never jeopardizes integrity; insists on
winning the right way or not at all.
(Commandment #4)
• Is able to identify and admit own mistakes
(Commandment #11)
• Is rational and looks at all the options
(Commandment #9)
• Values relationships and treats others with
dignity and compassion (Commandment #2)
• Thinks out of the box and fosters creativity in
others (Manager Rule #8)
• Has a passion for everything he or she does
(Manager Rule #6)
• Has a good sense of balance and perspective about
what’s important in life (Manager Rule #5)
• Focuses on doing what it takes to add value to
the overall organization,
not on protecting turf or
playing politics
(Manager Rule #7)
• Models personal buy-in and commitment to the
Emmis vision/strategy (Manager Rule #1)
• Focuses on the work to be managed—
leaves
politics to the politicians
(Manager Rule #7)
Innovation and agility
Drive to excel
Personal integrity
Fact-based decision making
Accountability for results
Fosters alignment and
collaboration
Turns vision to focused
action
Exhibit 4.7. (
Continued
)
(Continued
)
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Attribute
Emmis Commandments
Emmis Manager Rules
• Knows who his or her customers are, thinks
about, and
takes personal responsibility for
taking care of them
(Commandment #1)
• Doesn’t underprice self or medium; builds
up the industry in dealing with others
(Commandment #6)
• Is good to his or her people—gets them
“into the game” and ensures they have a
piece of the pie (Commandment #3)
• Is able to have fun, laugh at self,
(Commandment #8)
• Believes everyday that he/she and Emmis
can make a difference (Manager Rule #11)
• Is willing to “go the extra mile” for others
(Manager Rule #9)
• Is able to have fun, laugh at self
(Manager Rule #10)
• Hires energetic people who believe in the
Emmis vision and are smarter than himself
or herself (Manager Rules #2, 3, and 4)
Delivers the Emmis customer
experience
Motivates individuals and teams
Recruits, develops, and retains
talent
Manages resources effectively
Strategic Perspective
ATTRIBUTE LINKAGE TO EMMIS COMMANDMENTS/RULES F
OR MANAGERS
Exhibit 4.7. Competency Linkage to Culture (
Continued
)
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Attribute
Employee Organization Customer
Investor
Sets Direction
1. Strategic perspective
X
2. Turns vision into focused action
X
Mobilizes Individual Commitment
3. Motivates individuals and teams
X
4. Recruits, develops, and retains talent
X
Engenders Organizational Capability
5. Holds self and others accountable
X
6. Manages resources effectively
X
7. Delivers the Emmis customer experience
X
8. Fosters alignment and collaboration
X
9. Innovation and agility
X
Demonstrates Personal Character
10. Personal integrity
X
X
X
X
11. Drive to excel
X
X
X
X
12. Fact-based decision making
X
X
X
X
ATTRIBUTE LINKAGE TO KEY RESULT CATEGORIES
Exhibit 4.7. (
Continued
)
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116
BEST PRACTICES INLEADERSHIPDEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION CHANGE
Core Competencies for All
1. Informed decision making. Approaching situations objectively, gathering the
facts and information necessary for clear understanding, and using logic and
common-sense to make informed decisions
2. Innovation and agility. Working to develop innovative ideas, search for
creative approaches and solutions, and adapt to change quickly so that
Emmis can continue to excel and be distinctive within the industry
3. Passion to reach a higher standard. Being passionate about one’s work, never
having or accepting an “entitlement” mentality, and consistently expecting
more of self, others, and Emmis
4. Personal integrity. Demonstrating the fundamental beliefs and values of
Emmis in all of one’s actions, decisions, and dealings with others
5. Teamwork and collaboration. Taking initiative to communicate actively and
share resources, ideas, and best practices across organizational boundaries
so that Emmis overall benefits
6. Delivering of the Emmis customer experience. Knowing who one’s customers
are, being clear about what they expect and value most, and delivering it
7. Vision into action. Being responsible for understanding not only the overall
Emmis vision but also what specific actions one individually needs to take
to make it a reality
8. Accountability for performance. Taking personal responsibility for meeting
all commitments, delivering results that meet or exceed one’s goals, and
identifying and resolving performance issues in a timely manner
Additional Leadership Competencies
1. Strategic perspective. Being able to take a broad, long-term view of the
business and its future and acting in ways that contribute to Emmis’s long-
as well as short-term success
2. Motivation and management of individuals. Managing people in a positive
way that “gets them into the game” by sharing responsibility and authority
for accomplishing meaningful work and credit for success
3. Building and leadership of teams. Assembling teams of individuals with strong
and complementary skills and leading them in ways that help them work
effectively as a unit
4. Recruiting, development, and retaining of talent. Identifying and recruiting
only the highest-quality talent for Emmis, coaching people so that they get
the most out of their potential, and rewarding people in a way that reflects
their level of contribution
5. Effective resource management. Planning and organizing work, managing
resources efficiently, and understanding what is most important in
contributing to growing the revenues and profitability of Emmis.
Exhibit 4.8. Emmis Competency Model
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Leadership Brand Insights
Design and Control
Principles
Planning
Performance
Improving
Performance
Rewarding
Performance
10.0
5.45
25
7.3
20.9
8.6
18.2
3.2
14.5
0 20.0 30.0
Low process and content ownership for corpor
ate and for divisions. Minimal
systems integration and virtually no accountabilit
y for execution. Absence of
explicit criteria for process excellence. Low correlation betw
een business results
and performance evaluation outcomes. No enterprise guidanc
e/knowledge
management system capabilities.
Performance and Reward Management
Individual performance plans generally not created, thus absent specific measur
es,
attributes, or key projects that link well to business priorities
. Very limited
training capabilities. No way to differentiate performers via r
esults-based
documentation.
Performance coaching occurring more frequently in real time
. No dedicated
methods for evaluating and developing attribut
es. Leadership program provides
basic training. Extensive multi-rater feeback program; albeit without c
onnections
to performance management system. No automat
ed knowledge management
capabilities.
Performancce reviews generally do not occur at least onc
e a year. Decisive,
constructive action is perceived not to be taken to addr
ess problem performance.
Low linkages between appraisal outcomes and emplo
yment-related actions. Solid
use of direct cash variable pay systems with linkages to C
orporate/SBU results (vs.
individual), and without tight connections to per
formance management system.
Some use of non-cash reward programs for both gr
oup and individual performance
and reward management.
Stage 3 Avg
Emmis Scores
Exhibit 4.9. Performance Management Insights
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118
BEST PRACTICES INLEADERSHIPDEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION CHANGE
Roll out Train the Trainer
November December January February March April
Letter from
Jeff Smulyan
LFR
workshops
Final FY2003
performance
plans with
objectives,
attributes,
and projects
Scorecard measures
attribute architecture
Special edition
of Newsletter
Special edition
of Newsletter
Special edition
of Newsletter
Managers'
meeting
Special edition
of Newsletter
Emmis Announcements, Smulyan e-mails, and “blurbs” in weekly/biweekly conference calls
Implementation
Communication
Ongoing executive team follow-up during regular meetings
Manager alignment
briefings
Manager
workshops
Roll out Train the Trainer
Employee
workshops
Reviewed with
FY2002 actuals
Top down-
bottom up
review of
comprehensive
measures,
attributes,
and strategic
projects
Validation and refinement
of executive and LFR
• Work group scorecards
• Corollary attributes
Performance and Reward
management task forces
Exhibit 4.11. Performance and Reward Management Implementation Plan
FY 2003
Operating Plan
Q1 Results and
Recognition
Programs
Q3 Results and
Recognition
Programs
December
Q2 Results, Mid-Year
Performance Reviews
and Job Market
Pricing Research
June
March
September
FY 2004
Strategic Plan
Organization
Development and
Talent Forecasting
November
December
Q4 Results, Annual
Performance Reviews
and Cash/Stock
Reward Programs
FY 2003
Performance
Plans
March
March
March
FY 2004
Operating Plan
Exhibit 4.10. Performance and Reward Management Overview
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EMMIS COMMUNICATIONS
119
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
John S. Nelson (jnelson@od-source.com) is president of OD Source Consult-
ing, Inc., which specializes in business and human resource strategy develop-
ment, culture and change management, performance improvement strategies,
and human resource excellence. Prior to this, Nelson was a company officer and
vice president of human resources for Emmis Communications, where he was
brought in to build strategy and infrastructure, and professionalize the human
resource function to manage the significant growth of the corporation and drive
the unique culture companywide. Nelson has experience in a variety of entre-
preneurial, general management, consulting, and strategic human resource and
organizational development roles. He has been a key contributor and a sought
out advisor with some of the most respected companies in their industries, such
as InterContinental Hotels Group, Honeywell (AlliedSignal), Apple Computer,
ARAMARK Business Services, Ceridian Employer Services, Hallmark Cards,
HarvestMap Systems, Medtronic, PeopleStrategy, 1.0 & Company, and Results-
Based Leadership. Nelson received his bachelor of science degree at Iowa State
University in industrial relations and completed graduate studies with honors
in industrial relations from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of
Management. For more information visit www.od-source.com.
cart_14399_ch04.qxd 10/19/04 12:01 PM Page 119
. Management Insights
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118
BEST PRACTICES IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION CHANGE
Roll out Train the Trainer
November. DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION CHANGE
Core Competencies for All
1. Informed decision making. Approaching situations objectively, gathering the
facts and information