The Clash’s hit song Should I Stay or Should I Go is about the end of a broken relationship. It’s also a question every professional struggles with at one point or another in their career. Right now, it’s THE question being debated in the corridors of power and across the media as it relates to … Continue reading Should I Stay Or Should I Go
It’s Supposed To Hurt
No pain, no gain. Embrace the burn. Take the hard way. Rise and grind. Just do it. These pithy mantras and urgent admonitions permeate the worlds of sports and fitness. They’re everywhere: posters, tattoos, memes and ads. Coaches and trainers swear by them. Athletes of all levels, from the pros to the weekend warrior, breathlessly … Continue reading It’s Supposed To Hurt
A Career Lesson From Charlie Brown
It’s one of the all-time classic recurring bits from the Peanuts comic strip. Charlie Brown charges full speed to kick a football held up by Lucy. Right at the moment he’s about to make contact she snatches it away, causing Charlie Brown to flip into the air and crash spectacularly to the ground. Part of what … Continue reading A Career Lesson From Charlie Brown
Goals Are Cheap
Everybody has goals. I do. I’m sure you do as well. Having a clear set of goals is Career/Life Coach 101 stuff. Chapter 1 of every self-improvement book ever written. We’re told that it’s important to write them down. Even better, we should go one step further and visualize what achieving our goals will look … Continue reading Goals Are Cheap
AI and Your Next Salary Negotiation/Have We Reached Peak NFL?
A two for one this week at Peak Years - thoughts on AI and the NFL. Let's start with AI. Like so much else in our world, AI has revolutionized the job search process in a short period of time. ChatGPT writes resumes and cover letters. It is a powerful research tool. And it’s great for interview prep. … Continue reading AI and Your Next Salary Negotiation/Have We Reached Peak NFL?
The Most Important Day of Your Life
Ask a random person to identify the most important day of their life and you’ll probably hear things like the day they were born, the day they met their significant other, their wedding day, the birth of their child; any of the major milestone days of our lives. Unless the person has a major life … Continue reading The Most Important Day of Your Life
Sprint to the Finish
She said it almost every day during the transition: “I’m going to sprint to the finish.” The company we worked for, Time Warner Cable, was in the midst of being absorbed by Charter Communications. A number of my colleagues were looking forward to the close of the transaction so they could take their packages and … Continue reading Sprint to the Finish
Will There Be Enough?
Will there be enough? Maybe we don’t use those exact words, but that is THE question all of us ask ourselves at some point, perhaps many times, during our lives. The question can apply to the basic essentials: food, water, clothing, and shelter. Sadly, way too many people around the world are forced to confront … Continue reading Will There Be Enough?
Red Penguins, Pack Rats and Empty Nests
After working more than two decades in media and marketing I’ve accumulated a lot of tchotchkes. While the various collectibles and freebies are undoubtedly a fun part of the job, over time all this stuff can become a problem if you are bit of a pack rat, like me. A visit to the back corner … Continue reading Red Penguins, Pack Rats and Empty Nests
Stop Chasing Success
Chasing professional success is a fool’s errand. Fulfillment is what we should be after. Attaining fulfillment requires that you do two things every day. I will explain in a minute. But first, on the surface, I realize the idea of not pursuing success sounds ridiculous and runs counter to the very essence of the American … Continue reading Stop Chasing Success
Stop Trashing Spulu
Trashing “Spulu,” the new sports streaming venture from ESPN, Fox and WBD, is the favored pastime of people from across the business. The leagues are pissed. Analysts think it’s dead in the water. Competitors dismiss it. The politicians suspect collusion. According to pretty much everyone, Spulu is a train wreck waiting to happen – which … Continue reading Stop Trashing Spulu
Order My New Thriller Today
I wanted the loyal readers of my blog to be among the first to know that Burning Ambitions, my new book, is now available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats. From my previous posts, by now you are well familiar with the basic storyline and saw the sneak peek of Chapter One. The … Continue reading Order My New Thriller Today
Burning Ambitions – A Sneak Peek of Chapter 1
Here's a sneak peek of Chapter 1 of my latest thriller, Burning Ambitions. The book is available at Amazon and other major book retailers. August, 2019 - Buffalo, NY Matt Gleason paced back and forth across the security office inside Municipal Stadium. He glanced at his watch for the fourth time in the past 10 … Continue reading Burning Ambitions – A Sneak Peek of Chapter 1
Burning Ambitions – Coming March 19
I am excited to share that my new book, Burning Ambitions, will be available for purchase on March 19. It's a page-turning thriller featuring two arch rivals competing for the biggest job in sports. The story is set amidst a backdrop of high stakes global politics, ruthless billionaires, and a diabolical conspiracy that will keep you on … Continue reading Burning Ambitions – Coming March 19
Hot Tubs and Practicing Relaxation
I’m not very good at relaxing. My mind is always going. Every time I try to relax, it’s hard for me to not think about the things I could be accomplishing. I’m not getting any better at it as I get older, in fact I might be getting worse. Millions of people have this same … Continue reading Hot Tubs and Practicing Relaxation
No Backfills
It’s a familiar story among managers in corporate America these days. A member of their team quits early in the year. The manager goes to their boss for what should be a routine approval to post the job for a replacement and the response is, “sorry, no backfills.” The manager explains that this role is … Continue reading No Backfills
What’s Your Name?
My name is Fred Bucher. But, if I’m being honest, there have been times in my life when my name was longer and hyphenated. For example, for a good chunk of my career my name was: “Fred Bucher-from-ESPN.” There is a revealing little exercise for determining how much of our identities are tied to our … Continue reading What’s Your Name?
The World Is Flat
"The world is flat!" So claim the conspiracy theorists. Don’t worry, this isn’t an endorsement of the unorthodox opinions about the shape of our planet espoused by people like Kyrie Irving. My feet are planted firmly in the “world is round” camp of Columbus and science. But while the shape of the planet is round, … Continue reading The World Is Flat
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
The break-up. The end of a relationship. For eons it’s been a bottomless well of inspiration for artists, musicians, and writers. And that will never change. As long as humans walk the Earth, we will seek solace and comfort in art from the emotional pain of break-ups. Now before you stop reading, rest assured I’m not about to offer … Continue reading Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
A Not So Happy Birthday
Some birthdays are better than others. Twenty years ago, I was fortunate to be part of the team working on ESPN’s huge marketing and sponsorship initiative to celebrate the network’s 25th anniversary. It was a hugely successful project, in part because the company had built so much trust, affinity and admiration among sports fans since … Continue reading A Not So Happy Birthday
Eyes Forward
“Eyes forward” was one of the first lessons my dad drilled into me when he taught me to drive. He didn’t want me fiddling with the radio or getting distracted by other people in the car. For the record, I can only imagine how my dad would have handled driving lessons in the era of … Continue reading Eyes Forward
You Are Looking Live
It’s Brent Musburger’s fault. If you watched the NFL in the 1980s Brent’s open for The NFL Today on CBS is the stuff of legend. I can hear him now: You are looking LIVE at Soldier Field in Chicago where today the Bears take on their arch divisional rival the Green Bay Packers… Except for the … Continue reading You Are Looking Live
Dear Bob, Think YouTube, Not the NFL
According to reports, ESPN and the NFL are in the final stages of negotiations for the league to become a part owner of the worldwide leader. Iger has talked publicly about his desire to find a “strategic partner” for ESPN, and it appears he’s done it. Here’s the thing, however, I think he’s picked the … Continue reading Dear Bob, Think YouTube, Not the NFL
A Shout Out to Tough Bosses
Everyone should have at least one tough boss in their career. Nothing will make you stronger, better, more aware of new possibilities and just flat out smarter. I’ve worked for some very tough bosses during my career. (Check out my blog post, When I Worked for Andrew Cuomo). It certainly wasn’t easy, at times it … Continue reading A Shout Out to Tough Bosses
Dear Shari, Bigger Isn’t Always Better
No media company entered ’24 the subject of more rumors and speculation than Shari Redstone’s Paramount. Will she sell to David Ellison and the team at Skydance? (Seems increasingly unlikely if you follow Bill Cohan at Puck, his column alone is worth a subscription.) Will the ever ambitious and acquisitive David Zaslav and WB Discovery … Continue reading Dear Shari, Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Dear Netflix – Partner with ESPN and CNN in ‘24
To kickoff 2024, we here (ok, it’s just me) at For What It’s Worth are offering free advice to some of the major players in media. I’m starting with Netflix, which may seem like an odd choice given it is the undisputed leader in streaming, the company that brought traditional media to its knees. What … Continue reading Dear Netflix – Partner with ESPN and CNN in ‘24
Florida State and the Cynics at the CFP
Five options. Four seats. That’s the predicament the College Football Playoff committee found itself in this weekend. Michigan, Washington, Florida State, Texas, and Alabama – one team was going to be disappointed. By now you know that team was Florida State – the first undefeated, Power Five conference champion not to be selected for the … Continue reading Florida State and the Cynics at the CFP
Meet The New Boss
“Meet the new boss, the same as the old boss.” Pete Townshend wrote this lyric as a cynical rebuke to the flower-power idealism of the 1960s. For all the rallies, sit-ins, and protest music, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” is a savage, blistering reminder to the “hippie” generation that in the end, leadership matters. If the … Continue reading Meet The New Boss
Family Data Plans – Parenting’s Final Frontier
There’s a challenge unique to this generation of parents, never previously confronted in all recorded human history. When do we drop our adult children from the family wireless unlimited data plan? It is the final frontier of parenting. An undiscovered country marked by shadowy terrains of nostalgia, sentiment and perhaps a bit of fear. … Continue reading Family Data Plans – Parenting’s Final Frontier
My Next Chapter – Ready Golf
Earlier this summer I shared that after much thought and deliberation, I made the difficult decision to step away from a job and a group of co-workers that I really liked to take a shot at fulfilling a long-held dream of being an entrepreneur. Today I wanted to share more about my plans and how … Continue reading My Next Chapter – Ready Golf
Where Ideas Come From
Whenever I get into a conversation about writing inevitably someone asks where my ideas come from. I think any person who shares their creative work with the world, whether famous or not, hears this question at some point. Often the questioner follows with a lament that they wish they could write, play piano, paint or … Continue reading Where Ideas Come From
Job #1 in Media – Own AI
It’s been a tough year in the media business: bad ratings, declining revenues, mass layoffs, and unprecedented labor unrest. 2023 will be a year everyone wants to forget, and we still have four months to go. Much of the tension can be attributed to the industry failing to adequately prepare and adapt to changing viewing … Continue reading Job #1 in Media – Own AI
Riding Out the Storm
We are entering the peak of hurricane season. This is the time of year when my former colleagues at The Weather Channel, the most trusted news organization in the business, do their best work. Live on the ground coverage of tropical hurricanes is what the network is most known for. Footage of Jim Cantore, Steph … Continue reading Riding Out the Storm
You Make Me Feel So Young
It’s one of Sinatra’s classics. You make me feel so young You make me feel there are songs to be sung Bells to be rung And a wonderful fling to be flung My wife comes from a big Italian family so Sinatra tunes like “You Make Me Feel So Young” were always on the play … Continue reading You Make Me Feel So Young
What Golf Must Do Right Now
Golf has dominated the headlines in a way we haven’t seen since Tiger Woods burst onto the scene. Even people who don’t know the difference between a birdie and a bogey have an opinion about the PGA Tour/PIF agreement. I’m sure you do. Regardless of how one feels about the deal, I think it’s fair … Continue reading What Golf Must Do Right Now
Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Like a lot of people my office is littered with keepsakes from my career. One of my favorites is a horseshoe. It’s a reminder of a memorable business trip I made to the thoroughbred horse farms of Kentucky years ago. (I highly recommend going if you get the chance.) Horseshoes are symbols of luck, that’s … Continue reading Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
What’s In A Name
As a marketer it’s been fascinating, and more than a bit horrifying, to watch the recent rebrand of Twitter to “X” unfold. Others have said this as well: never have we seen a company take a flame thrower to its brand so quickly and thoroughly. Elon Musk is a brilliant visionary who long will be … Continue reading What’s In A Name
The Winds of Change
Bob Dylan famously sang, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Dylan was right about a lot of things, but this one he got wrong. When the wind is blowing something fierce and you’re feeling scared, there’s no one you want more in that situation than the weatherman (or woman). … Continue reading The Winds of Change
ESPN on the Trading Block
When Bob Iger orchestrated the coup that returned him to the top of Disney the media industry and Wall Street were jubilant. The general narrative was the most successful CEO of his generation was returning to right a floundering ship and save the company from a failed leader who clearly had lost the confidence of … Continue reading ESPN on the Trading Block
Ghosted in the Machine
The email or text that gets no response. The call unreturned. The promised meeting that’s never scheduled. It’s happened to all of us. Quite likely all of us have done it ourselves at one time or another. People used to refer to it as getting blown off. Today the more common term is ghosted. Technology … Continue reading Ghosted in the Machine