Even Phone Sex Operators Need to Take Pride in Their Work

As an outsider looking in on The Howard Stern Show, It seems that once your role is established

and you know the responsibilities of that role, you’re expected to perform at a high level.

Howard apparently adopted the philosophy that if you had taken on the responsibility of doing a job, and someone was willing to pay you to do the job, you should take great pride in the work that you performed. If you were not willing to give it one hundred percent, you shouldn’t take the work.

If you did take the job, his motto was “just get it done.” No bitching, no complaining.  Get it done for your own good and for the greater good. Being self-motivated was a critical part of being on The Howard Stern Show.

I think back to 2002 when Howard interviewed a young woman who worked a sex phone hotline.

During a “test” call in which he portrayed the customer, he quickly took offense that Corrine (the phone sex operator)

was being passive. Howard drove the call, and Corrine merely responded to his playful questions. She did not take control of the conversation. He wanted Corrine to step it up and initiate some sexual banter. He got frustrated with her and scolded her—somewhat joking but mostly serious—because he took great exception to her work ethic. He explained that if she accepted the job and was getting paid to do it, she needed to do it to the best of her ability and not just “go through the motions.” He thought that she owed her employer more.

Howard echoed his “just f’ing do it” sentiment again in 2006. Prior to his launch on satellite radio, he was a guest on Fox News and interviewed by Sean Hannity. In that interview, he made his position clear about working hard regardless of what your job was or what your future held.

He spoke about CBS radio, which owned WXRK in New York, and his employer prior to his move to satellite radio. CBS radio had filed a lawsuit against him (Howard probably felt that the allegations amounted to “sour grapes” that he was leaving the station). He seemed clearly frustrated by the lawsuit, even hurt. Like he felt he was being screwed with by CBS and they were not giving him the professional respect and courtesy that he had shown them throughout his career.

I spent twenty years at this company, the last fourteen months I was there, I could have pulled shenanigans. I could have called in sick, I could have not shown up. I didn’t have to read all those live commercials. I could have screwed with them. I’m not that kind of guy. I am a straight shooter, you hire me to do a job, I’m going to do it for you.

-          Howard Stern on Hannity & Colmes 3/2005

The bottom line is this: If you’re given a job to do, just f’ing do it.

Jamie Troia is President of Greystack Digital Marketing and author of Stern Rules!