Executive Suite: Dave Widmer, The Long Island Radio Group

As a college student, Dave Widmer got interested in marketing and merchandising when he was trying to hawk unusual produce in Greenwich, Conn.

He started in the radio industry as an account executive in the mid-1980s. Listeners and their radio stations, he says, have "the most intimate of all the media relationships."

Widmer worked his way up to become head of The Long Island Radio Group in 2006. The group, with owners in Newton, Mass., has four stations, including a recently relaunched 94-X WIGX -- Hits for Generation X -- at 94.3 FM.

Widmer, 49, is a golfer and co-chairman of Island Harvest. He is married with six children. 

How did you learn how to manage?
"I made a lot of mistakes early on in my career. I learned very quickly that my job was not to catch people doing something wrong. I really had that mentality in my first, very early, very youthful experience of being in management, that somehow my job was to bust people. My job was just the opposite -- my job was to be a facilitator. My job was to help make things happen, to get obstructions and obstacles out of my employees' ways, to pave the path." 

What's your management style?
"I'm a big believer in creating a sense of ownership, a sense of investment. Giving them the opportunity to feel like it's their project, it's their radio station, it's their business. My management style is one of . . . creating something that they'll be proud of, that they enjoy, that they can believe in. And to do everything I can on a regular basis to show them that I care." 

How do you get people to do what you need them to do?
"You can incentivize them, you give them great feedback. You acknowledge what they do well, give them an opportunity to learn. As a manager, I try to provide my employees with a certain amount of autonomy, a sense of independence. Find good people, find smart people, and get out of the way."

What do you look for in hiring?
"One of the major things I look for in a person is initiative. Initiative, to me, is not necessarily something that can be [taught] or mandated. It's about doing things that don't necessarily have to be done, but should be done. We look for people that have a sense of passion. We look for people that want to be here. Passion, to me, is the fuel for getting things done." 

How has the recession impacted business?
"When things are very good and robust and there's confidence in the market and the economy, businesses tend to spend money on what might be determined to be noncritical areas of their budgets. Advertising, one could argue, is a critical and essential part of the budget, but not as important as making payroll or keeping the lights on. [The year] 2009 was very difficult, 2010 was much better and '11 is very bright."