A very in depth leadership interview that I conducted of KCWU's 88.1 FM Travis Box during my Junior year at Central Washington University.

1. Robert Pytell
Dr. Robert Trumpy
ADMG 372
November 26, 2015
1 of 7
Travis Box of 88.1 the Burg
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Travis Box, the General Manager for KCWU,
88.1 The Burg, at Central Washington University. Travis came to the KCWU 3 years ago, prior
to that he worked in the commercial side of the industry for about 20 years. He started working
in radio in 1992, at KGON in Portland Oregon, where he worked multiple different formats and
radio stations. Between 2004 and 2007, while working at Komo radio in Seattle, he received
multiple promotions and went from being just a producer of talk content to program director.
After leaving Sinclair broadcasting he came across a posting for his current position at the
college radio station. He felt it was a good way to give back to the next generation of
broadcasters.
When Travis First arrived at the campus radio, he said the program was very close to
collapse and that the station seemed very broken. Through hard work and determination, Travis
utilized his outstanding leadership skills to empower his team. This in-turn led KCWU to be
named the college radio station of the year in 2015.
During the Interview I asked 5 distinct questions that would give me a good insight into
his skills as a leader. The following is Travis’s story and my analysis on how his leadership style
lead his team to become so successful.
Question 1
I began by asking him “What are the most important decisions that you face daily as a leader in
your organization?”
He replied, “In this organization there are three, the first one I’m going to say is fiscal
responsibility of the station. It’s utilizing the student money properly, we’re funded two ways,

2. Robert Pytell
Dr. Robert Trumpy
ADMG 372
November 26, 2015
2 of 7
and predominantly we’re funded through the services and activities fee that every student pays
when they come to college here. So its Student money! And then the second source, which is
much smaller, but were working on it, is the foundation account money. So when we do
underwriting or we go to an event that is a paid event for us, that money goes into our
foundation account. That’s how we can buy stuff like t-shirts or coffee mugs or stuff, because we
don’t want to use student money to buy that kind of promotional item. So we use that money to
buy that stuff, we use the S&A money to cover salaries, infrastructure, and licensing fees.
Secondarily it is the direction and growth of the program, which has to be meeting the
core outcomes that campus life and the university as a whole have set. So it’s choosing what path
we go on or what path we decide isn’t for us.
Thirdly, and this is one I take more personally, it’s not necessarily written into the job
description, it’s to provide leadership for everybody here. I’m the one that keeps them motivated
and puts them in a position to win, and who supports, guides, and mentors them. There is a huge
difference between a leader and a manager. The only way to accomplish great things is to have a
team that is motivated and are all working in the same direction. That doesn’t happen by
accident, you just don’t put people under a roof and say go win. You constantly have to cultivate
that, you have to know each individual and what motivates them to get them to buy into a larger
vision that you go out and execute.
He continued on explaining that when he first arrived that the program was on the brink
of collapse that all the professional staff had left within a three month period. He said that at first
no one really took him seriously and thought his Ideas were “adorable”, but that he saw so much
potential in the program in regards to what they could do or where they could go with the
program.

3. Robert Pytell
Dr. Robert Trumpy
ADMG 372
November 26, 2015
3 of 7
Analysis 1
When analyzing the response that Travis gave for this first question it can clearly be seen
that he is by definition an effective leader. He seems like a very honest person who bases his
decisions for the program and his team based not only on the schools core values and vision, but
also on the feelings and thoughts of this staff. By getting to know each of his team members he is
able to effectively guide them and understand what motivates each individual. Also by having a
high level of integrity when handling the financial and program decisions he has built a strong
sense of trust between him and his team at the station. He seems to be a very emotionally
intelligent person because of how he rehabilitated the program and empowered his staff to
become so successful.
Question 2
Next I asked him,” How do you foster creative and innovative thinking within your
organization? How are ideas shared and implemented within your organization?”
He replied; “The first thing was, I had to change the culture of the station. When I first
got here the culture was a bit repressive, it felt like a bank.” He explained that when he first
came no one ever approached the staff offices in the back. He said it seemed as if students felt
like they weren’t allowed to go to the staff offices. He said” The first thing I did was open it up,
by that I mean I opened all the doors and blinds. I got rid of safes, signs, and policies that were
really repressive. And then I had to set the example, and get people used to the fact that it’s ok to
play, it’s ok to have fun, it’s ok to be in a radio station, because radio is fun. It took a little while,
but once that culture took hold, you saw the student staff and the student volunteers really open
up and start to become tremendously creative. Creativity is about play! How do I convey that? A
couple of ways, I am big on management while walking around. I will go out and just hang out

4. Robert Pytell
Dr. Robert Trumpy
ADMG 372
November 26, 2015
4 of 7
with them, I will tell stories with them, have fun with them, go on the air with them, I will set the
example myself. I’ll go do parody songs, dress up in a stupid costume, or whatever. I’ll make it
ok and that tends to give them permission to be ok about it.”
Analysis 2
Now I believe Travis really helped grow the program because of the symbolic and
structural changes he made to the office. By opening all the doors and windows in the studio, this
sent a very strong symbolic message to the students that he welcomed their interaction with him.
Also by removing the signs, safes, and repressive policies, he showed his team that he trusted
them. I think this had a major effect on everyone, by him being so fun and approachable,
everyone was willing to buy into the new culture that he had set for the station. In my opinion the
way he goes about setting an example for students really helps in bringing out the teams creative
side. He seems to try to get everyone to just relax, which is really rare in the workplace from my
experience.
Question 3
Next I asked him; “How do you assist a new employee to understand the culture of your
organization?”
Travis replied; “I really take the time to sit down with them. During the training process,.
a new student will come in, we put them through three to six weeks of training. That’s twice a
week for two hours per session and then at some point when they get to their audition or right
after their audition, I ask that their trainer set aside some time, and I get to know them. I try to
learn their name, their background, and why they wanted to get into radio. I try to give them a
good understanding of what Burg First is. We are a radio station first and then we are our
disciplines and titles second. I really try to welcome them into this secret club known as radio

5. Robert Pytell
Dr. Robert Trumpy
ADMG 372
November 26, 2015
5 of 7
and make them understand that there’s an expectation for them to have fun. That they are good
to their colleagues and peers and that this radio station is important to a lot of people. They will
be important to us as long as they also buy into this vision of what the radio station is.”
Analysis 3
By taking the time to get to know each student, their stories, and communicating the need
for them to have fun while there, I think that Travis makes the student staff willing to buy into
the stations vision. Through his use of situational leadership and emotional intelligence he
enables the students to have a voice by taking the time to clearly explain the station and its
vision. This has lead students to become very successful. By Travis encouraging open
communication, it allows for everyone to have a collaborative voice. Also taking the time to talk
to everyone, helps him meet the needs of his student staff and eliminates any reservations or
issues that they may have.
Question 4
Next I asked him, “What advice would you give a new employee going into a leadership
position for the first time?”
Travis explained; “So when I first got into management, I was not good at it at all! I had
copied the managers that I had worked for and I was faking it. I just didn’t know, I lost a
friendship because of it. I was now managing people that were my peers not to long before. I left
a swath of destruction in my wake of poor managerial choices. I had my boss come to me at
some point when he realized that I as in way over my head. He gave me a bit of advice that was
like the Rosetta stone for leadership. That was always make sure your influence is greater than
your authority! That clicked perfectly for me and I changed everything that I did. I realized that
it’s about it’s about the people and your relationships with the people, how you believe in

6. Robert Pytell
Dr. Robert Trumpy
ADMG 372
November 26, 2015
6 of 7
people, how you set them up for success, and how you’re there when they falter and pick them
back up. You have the ability when you need to, to go to them and ask; hey I need you to do this.
You never have to say; “because I’m the boss”; they just go; “sure Travis is asking so it must be
important” and Travis has never steered me wrong. That’s what I would tell a new person;
always make sure your influence is greater than your authority.
Analysis 4
Ok this one really surprised me, I have never seen a leader admit that they were bad at it
at any point. By Travis openly admitting this, it showed that he was human and has in fact made
bad decisions. His openness to inquiry shows that by adapting his principles he was able to
become a great leader. He recognized what was wrong and made the necessary changes. In my
opinion his philosophy that a leader’s influence should always outweigh their authority is just
genius. It eliminates the perceived overpowering weight of the title.
Question 5
Lastly I asked Travis; “What are you doing daily to ensure your growth and development
continues as a leader? If so, how?”
His final reply was; “I spend a lot of time with my students and staff, the joke around
here is that my superpower is pep talks! Everybody here knows they can come to me and I will
put my work aside and sit there and listen to them talk and try to get people back to a place
where they feel good about whatever it is they are facing. I get a couple of things out of that, I
get the knowledge of knowing that I helped or hoping that I did. I also get insight and
perspective into other people’s worlds. So that when I’m feeling challenged or stressed in my
role, I can sit there and go wow, what I’m facing is nothing compared to what these people are
facing. So I think it brings a sense of humility and perspective, and it helps me with that concept

7. Robert Pytell
Dr. Robert Trumpy
ADMG 372
November 26, 2015
7 of 7
of; I’m the last to take credit and first to take blame. I also will look at other leaders on campus
and steal. If it looks like it can go in my leadership toolbox, I will try it out and see if it’s
something that I can incorporate. But I know leadership is not something you just achieve and
you’re done. It’s really about constantly trying to be better at it, nobody is a perfect leader. But
you can get better and better at it if you make it a priority.”
Analysis 5
The fact that Travis listens to his staff so that he can get different perspectives and his use
of situational leadership shows that his world view is constantly evolving. The fact that he wants
to know how people perceive the world around them shows that he genuinely wants to keep
improving as a leader. Also it is very smart to “steal” other leader’s methods because they may
have that solution that has been eluding you for so long.
Final Thoughts
After interviewing Travis, I now realize why the station has been so successful since he
arrived. Travis is wise beyond his years in my opinion. Through the use of situational leadership
and his high level of emotional intelligence, his ideas and methods he uses to communicate
effectively with his team are truly inspirational. He never once said he was the reason they won
the award, He said the students won it they did all the work. He seems to have a much
heightened ability to connect with the needs of others. That in its self is a very powerful tool to
have.