- Cultish Creative
- Posts
- The Rise Of News Anchor Leadership: When The Messenger Becomes The Message
The Rise Of News Anchor Leadership: When The Messenger Becomes The Message
Peter Atwater is onto something (as usual)
Matt Zeigler
March 04, 2025
Just like there are new ideas changing the world right now, there are new leadership archetypes spreading their message far and wide. Peter Atwater just broke a newsworthy story with this one - he’s got a remarkable piece on the rise of News Anchor Leadership. A quote:
While keen communication skills have always been a critical attribute for executive leaders, the post-COVID social media era has forced organizations to seek out individuals best equipped to handle the never-ending, 24/7 crowd-demand for soundbites, video-clips, and infotainment. More than ever in business, the message is the product. Not surprisingly then, as an audience, we demand highly attractive, masterful storytellers fluent across X, Tik-Tok, CNBC, CNN, televised townhalls, and earnings calls. In our attention-centric economy, businesses have little choice but to promote leaders who can draw a crowd, hold it, build it, and ultimately exploit it to the shareholders’ benefit.
Look around, and you'll see them everywhere – those charismatic figures who seem built for our attention economy, popping up in LinkedIn notifications with 3 leadership lessons you can use today, going viral on TikTok, and still making time for legacy media appearances.
The boundaries between CEO and influencer have blurred into oblivion, and, it’s… weird? I mean, I get it, it’s our hyperconnected world, please let’s blame THAT so we don’t have to blame ourselves, but when businesses increasingly bet on leaders who can capture attention, cultivate followings, and transform that currency into shareholder value, we need a new set of tools to understand what’s happening.
The mediums aren't just the message anymore; the messengers have been absorbed into it too.
There's something extra seductive about this new paradigm too. These leaders feel accessible, almost intimate, when we invite them into our homes through screens, headphones, and social feeds. We know their mannerisms, their catchphrases, their personal quirks, all in the same ways previous generations knew Johnny Carson's sidelong glance or Walter Cronkite's reassuring sign-off.
But here's where Atwater's insight gets uncomfortable (at least for me):
None of this may matter so long as investor confidence is high and storytelling is prized, but I worry about what happens when sentiment turns and operational competence matters again – when substance, rather than flare, matters anew. News anchor leaders seem to be not only ill-equipped, but their intense outward focus is likely to leave them blindsided. They are too caught up in their own favorable press.
This is where I find myself squirming a little. Maybe I recognize too much of myself in this description, or perhaps I've put too many of these charismatic figures on pedestals without questioning what lies beneath the polished delivery and “is he wearing makeup in that LinkedIn video?”
I believe there's room for something more nuanced – leaders who can tell compelling stories and deliver substance. But that balance requires stepping away from the spotlight regularly. It means trading the dopamine hit of engagement metrics for the quieter satisfaction of operational excellence. It involves checking in with stakeholders at all levels, not just those who amplify your message. And yes, that's difficult, unglamorous work. It’s critical work. It’s… hello pile of notes on my desk that need to be compiled for compliance work.
The communication skills that make a great "News Anchor Leader" aren't irrelevant – they're essential. But they need to be tools in service of something greater, not ends in themselves.
Maybe the real challenge for modern leaders isn't learning how to command attention, but remembering why they sought it in the first place. When the podcast cameras are off, what’s left? Building something lasting requires more than a highlight reel of quotable moments. It demands the humility to recognize when the spotlight might be blinding you to what matters most.
Build stuff that matters, build stuff that lasts, build stuff you actually love.
(Thanks Peter, I really appreciate this)