Yesterday I shared something I got from Stephen A. Smith’s book “Straight Shooter”, and here’s another lesson from it:
Being on a sports debate show called “First Take” every day gave him lots of opportunities to have a bad take, and to put his foot in his mouth.
After one of those instances, he faced pressure from his network (ESPN) and he decided to apologize the next day …
But instead of giving an apology from the heart, he read the one that ESPN gave him to read – and it came across as phoney and disingenuous.
He admitted that he should have just said what he was feeling.
An apology from Stephen A. is rare, he usually stands by what he says … in his memoir he writes about advice that he once got:
“‘Call it like it is … you’re not in the business to be liked. You’re in the business to be respected. Honesty, integrity, and fairness is what gets you respect. Not being liked.”
It reminds me of something I experienced recently.
I was invited to be a guest on a podcast, and despite not usually agreeing to do “pre-interview chats” (I find them to be a waste of time, for both me AND the host), I made an exception.
When we got on the call, the host told me that she had a look at my recent social media posts and she “didn’t think it’d be a good fit”.
I knew what she was referring to, since I had posted about a hot button political issue, and asked her if that was the reason.
She hummed and hawed, and denied that was why she didn’t want to do the interview – but I told her that I stood by every word that I said.
(She blocked me immediately after our conversation … strange!)
It’s her podcast and her call, but I’m not going to back down from my opinions.
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