'We've been through a seismic event in our lives.' Broadcast pioneer Peter H. Smyth talks about resuming some normalcy.

By COSMO MACERO JR.

Milton, MA - Peter H. Smyth has spent his entire career deeply engaged as both an industry leader in the radio broadcast industry, and a dedicated community and civic leader with some of the most prominent charitable organizations in New England.

As the retired Chairman, President and CEO of Greater Media Inc. - which was sold to Beasley Media in 2016 – Smyth continues to share his expertise in and vision for the medium he loves most as both a consultant and mentor. He also serves on the Boards of America Media and WBUR and is a member of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Smyth is President of The Hundred Club of Massachusetts – the leading non-profit organization providing financial and other support to families of police and firefighters killed in the line of duty; and he chairs the Media Labs initiative of Home Base – a project of the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital providing specialized care to veterans.

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As a speaker to business groups and a mentor to individuals, Smyth regularly advocates that professionals across all disciplines find “their personal Board of Directors” to help guide them through career decisions, civic engagement and even personal challenges in life. It’s an approach to accessing mentorship he credits for his own success.

Peter H. Smyth testifying before the U.S. House Telecom Committee in 2007National Association of Broadcasters image -

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Smyth has paid close attention to economic and interpersonal impacts in the industries where he is an expert - as well as the entire workplace spectrum in America.

He recently shared some workplace-oriented insights as Massachusetts and the nation began a robust re-acquaintance with the way life used to be:

Do you think it will it surprise us how much American workplaces return to some level of normalcy? There was a time just months ago where we probably never could see a full return to normal office workplace conditions. Now that seems to be shifting. Labor Day looks like it will be some kind of informal milestone …

“I think we’ve been through a seismic event in our lives with the pandemic, and it has altered a generation. It won’t just go away. I think in offices there will be more open space where people can feel more distance from others. But Americans are funny people. They are creatures of habit, and they are going to want to go back to where they can interact with other human beings. It’s hard to build a culture in an organization if people can’t interact with each other. What levels we will be at is still debatable, and I think it will always be in the back of people’s minds: Can it happen again?”

Then some level of permanent change is inevitable. Yes?

"Yes. It is already underway. The dynamics of organizations are going to change. Companies are going to say: ‘How much space do we really need? What roles do people play in this organization?’ I think if you are a passive employee, you are really going to have a tougher time. It’s going to be really hard."

Can you explain that a little more?

"All of these things people used to say are out the window: ‘You can’t conduct commerce (with a remote workforce).’ Well, it turns out people really can be self-sufficient with a smartphone. But if you are looking for someone to tell you what to do or what you should be doing, that’s going to be tougher. Because people aren’t around. If you’re not a visible part of the organization, I don’t think you can do that. I think active employees will continue to have good careers. By being entrepreneurial and delivering more value. ‘How do I take the tools I learned from the pandemic and learn to how to do (my job) better?’ If you didn’t learn new skills last year, you are going to be challenged. It’s been a year and a half. That’s a long time. It’s about your state of mind. If you have used this pandemic (as a remote worker) to cut back and simply not do things you would normally do, you’re not really a self-starter. Your peers have adapted. And they’ve grown because of this. It’s the people that are passive that are not going to succeed at the same level.”

How well did America perform in response to the pandemic - taking the long view? And in the end did the nation get through it OK?

"I'm not sure we will ever really get over the tremendous loss of life. The virus struck households without notice and placed the most vulnerable populations at tremendous risk for months and months. Many Americans lost loved ones. And many more - perhaps most - at least know of someone who was a victim of COVID-19. I think I said earlier: this was a seismic event. But taking the long view - yes, I think our nation did get through this in a way that we can move forward, recover, resume life and accept the changes that have been forced upon us - and forced upon the entire world. There was tremendous political turmoil and controversy and finger-pointing during the darkest days of the pandemic. The volume of people put out of work and then reliant on emergency aid was staggering. And plenty of mistakes and missteps can probably be identified across the entire pandemic experience. But we also witnessed a true miracle of modern science and cooperation in the global race for a vaccine; we overcame early challenges and operational errors to establish a tremendous testing infrastructure, treatment protocols and ultimately a successful effort to vaccinate tens of millions with, quite literally, military discipline and precision. Economically? Some of the outcomes still seem like a mystery. If you had money in the stock market when the pandemic began and you left it there - you had a lot more by the end of the first quarter in 2021. It's still too early to really assess all of the impacts and outcomes. But I know I am not alone in feeling hope: in a way that I wasn't sure was even possible a year ago."

This article has been adapted and republished with the author's approval.

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