This is a piece I wrote that got picked up by the San Diego News Network. Happy reading! What businesses can learn from the Leno-Conan debacle To be honest, I hadn’t given any real attention to the whole deal about which middle-aged white millionaire was going to come out on top of the NBC “Tonight Show” saga. I only watched Leno’s 10 p.m. program during its first week, and saw only five or six “You Tube” broadcasted segments of Conan’s “Tonight Show.” I also found the whole soap opera-esque drama that occurred over the past month a bit silly given more important news of the day. Yet as Jay’s last night in prime-time broadcast comes tonight, I can’t help but see the lessons we as business leaders can take from this issue. And the one that keeps screaming at me is that you never – EVER – launch an initiative with the intent on not being the best. You may recall when the peacock network first announced that Leno’s new show would air five nights a week before the late local news timeslot. While part of this strategy was to ensure the successful late night talk show host veteran didn’t launch a competing program on a rival outlet, an even bigger reason was to reduce the cost of NBC’s prime-time programming in exchange for what they knew would amount to lower ratings, arguing that the hour could still be profitable even if the audience share was less. In essence, management never had any real intention or expectation of beating out the likes of “CSI” or “Lost.” I’ve seen similar initiatives launched by companies that made products that were also-rans; no better – and often inferior – to competing offerings, arguing instead that if they could just secure a small fraction of the market, they would become millionaires several times over. I find the whole concept an oxymoron; for no one, be they a producer for a television show or a founder of a high-tech start up, will ever win by first conceding defeat. None of that is to say that a company or TV program can’t succeed if they don’t come in first; far from it. Many organizations have realized consistent success without ever achieving the dominant market share or ratings position. Take FOX’s “The Simpsons” that is now the longest-running prime-time television program in history, even thought it has consistently been out-viewed by shows airing on other networks at the same time. Quiznos, the popular sandwich chain, is another example of how a company can make their mark (fast food) despite the overwhelming dominance of another (Doctors Associates’ Subway restaurants). But here’s the thing; both The Simpsons and Quiznos work extremely hard to put together a quality product with the intent on beating their rivals each and every day, and never give up in that pursuit. Jay Leno and NBC apparently didn’t take the same approach, and instead put out pretty much the same shtick that the comedian was doing in his original program, with the only visible difference being a somewhat altered set design and name change. In short, they gave nothing for the viewer to see that was different than before, and perpetuated the public belief that they weren’t really trying. I’ll bet that executives who take the same approach will get the same result; a failed idea gone horribly wrong. As for me, I started my own business with the full intent on changing the very nature of my market; offering not only a better mousetrap, but a seismic shift in how other industry players operate. I do so with a great deal of passion and personal drive. Though I fully appreciate the risks involved and the potential for failure that any such initiative possesses, I don’t believe for a moment that I have a chance in hell to succeed if I feel that the best I can ever do is come in behind someone else. The NBC “Tonight Show” disaster is a clear reminder of what happens to those that subscribe to such a notion. David Oates, APR, is the President of Stalwart Communications Inc., a San Diego-based pay for performance marketing and public relations firm. He also operates the social media site Pay-on-Performance to engage business leaders in discussion on this unique business model.  David can be reached at david@stalwartcom.com.