Tavis Smiley chronicles
bittersweet adventures of his
20-year journey in broadcasting

Fail Up: 20 Lessons on Building Success from Failure (ISBN-13: 9781401933906, Hay House), is author Tavis Smiley’s latest tome.  In this, his 14th book, the national media personality, entrepreneur and philanthropist openly shares some of his most memorable accounts of two decades in broadcasting, influencing public policy and carrying the torch for fair treatment to the poor.

When I spoke with him last, it was at the San Francisco Commonwealth Club where the impassioned advocate of human rights had just held a captive group of business and civic leaders, colleagues and students at rapt attention, appearing vigilant about world affairs and the day-to-day preoccupations of working-class Americans.

During opening remarks he opined, “I look back on this journey along with the fact that this book is being released now, this year of 2011, on the occasion of my 20 years in the broadcast business.  The lessons that I’ve learned along the way are primarily by making missteps, miscalculations and missed cues. Anyone who is --or has been-- successful in any human endeavor will tell you that [if they are being honest] they learn much more when they are failing than they ever learned from their successes.”

At the center of his career confessions is a mantra that consists of three simple words: faith, family and friends.  It is at this point, where our conversation began--

Sandra Varner (Talk2SV): In Fail Up, you say three words have become a mantra for you: faith, family and friends.  I’d like to suggest another “F” word, “failure.”  While we typically are encouraged to believe that failure is not an option, for you, it seems that failure has been an option. So, could we extend the list to faith, family, friends and failure?

Smiley: I like that and I’ll take that. You’re right.  Recently, I was in a conversation about the notion that failure is not an option. Actually, failure is an option.  I understand the sentiment behind it, but ultimately, anyone who succeeds does so only through a litany of failures.  This book lays out my own personal narrative about the role that failure has played in my life.  Essentially, what I’ve come to conclude is that we have to see failure as a friend; failure isn’t final and it doesn’t have to be fatal. If I were to offer a synonym for the word ‘failure,’ it would be ‘preparation.’ That’s what failure really is, its preparation. As I look back on my life, my career, I’ve seen how all these failures prepared me for the very next step. As I say in the book, sometimes rejection is re-direction, so I’ve just come to look at failure differently. Now, it’s hard to see this when you’re going through the situation, but, with 20 years in the broadcast business, I see things now that I didn’t see then and I’m just trying to share them with other people.

Talk2SV: Of the many lessons we all learn through failure, as well as lessons learned through life’s circumstances, we find out that “we” don’t know everything.  You have had a rapid ascension into a successful career, still a relatively young man.  In retrospect, how have you assessed this period of rapid ascension?

Smiley: I want to go back to those “F” s you mentioned: faith, family and friends. I’ve been very fortunate, yet another ‘F’ word. I’ve been so fortunate and blessed.  In l996, the year I started on the Tom Joyner Morning Show (syndicated radio) as a commentator and as a talk show host on Black Entertainment Television Network (BET), my career has been like a rocket going into outer space.  The trajectory, the propulsion and the velocity of the take off from 1996 was pretty amazing.  To your point, things happened pretty quickly: television, radio, books, best-selling books, State of the Black Union summits, magazine covers, accolades, awards, honorary doctorate degrees…I mean, things really took off pretty fast after 1996. As I look back on it, I didn’t realize that I had had so many failures; I didn’t realize I’d failed so many times.  I didn’t realize I’d made so many mistakes because there was a great deal of success during that period and over the last twenty years.  Looking back on all of it, most of my big successes followed massive failures.  For example, when I got fired by BET, it opened up the door to ABC to CNN to NPR to PBS; all those doors were opened up after I got fired by BET.

Talk2SV: For the past few years, a growing curiosity surrounds you and President Barack Obama.  As you point out in this book, your history with him dates back to his unsuccessful run against Illinois Congressman Bobby Rush.  In this conversation, can we attempt to clear the air about what people “think to be true” versus “what you know to be true” about your relationship?  And, when will the two of you have a public one-on-one discussion?

Smiley: I don’t know when, if or how that one-on-one would happen. That’s a call that the President has to make and, quite frankly, he has a lot more important things in front of him than sitting down with me for a conversation about what was. I would certainly welcome it.  Secondly, in this book, I did what I have not done heretofore for the last three years. I have not really spoken anywhere about this; really, this is the first time that I’ve gone in depth about what happened, how I viewed it and how it felt.  The pain that it caused and the tears that I shed when a good number of black folk in this country turned against me, maybe even an overwhelming number.  I never did any research on it, but it sure felt like pretty much everybody had turned against me. 

At the end of the day, when people read that chapter in this book, I can tell you this, I have not spoken to one audience who when we got into that chapter and they hear me explain it, people get it.  There have been times when a number of people walk up to me during book signings to apologize to me.  I mean, literally apologize, some with tears in their eyes, others not as emotional but saying, ‘I understand it now, I get it now. At that time, I didn’t hear you say what I hear you saying now, I didn’t hear it in the way you’re saying it.’ So, I’ve been on Tom Joyner’s radio show, Michael Baisden’s radio show to promote the book and the point is, I’ve gone back into all these African American spaces that I’ve not been in for the last few years to talk about this and everybody basically gets it.

There are some things you can’t do anything about, that’s just life.  But people understand it now and the bottom line is, all I was saying [back] then is the same thing I’m saying now; we have to hold [all of] our presidents accountable.  Black folk were so excited and had waited so long, 400 years, for the moment that a black man could be president, that they did not want anything to truncate that moment.  They didn’t want anything to get in the way of the reality that was approaching, the fact that Barack Obama could be elected President of the United States.  I supported Barack Obama and I wanted him to be president.  I’ve known him for years --before he ran-- he was a friend of mine.  I had nothing against Barack Obama, his job was to run and be president.  My job is to hold him accountable and to whatever extent I have been celebrated in black America, in whatever way black America has celebrated me, they’ve done so because they know that I’ve tried to tell the truth.  I’ve always talked about accountability.

Then it changed.  The thing that you all [black people] have regarded me for, the thing you all have respected me for, a New York Times bestselling author, talk show host, radio, TV, all the things that you all have done to make me a household name in black America, emanated from my being a truth teller and talking about accountability for everybody.  Even for (President) Bill Clinton who black folks love.  It’s hard to remember how much we loved Bill Clinton; now, black folk love Barack Obama, but, prior to Obama, Clinton was the man. 

When I took Bill Clinton on for a number of things that I laid out in the book, including Rwanda; he didn’t go fast enough into Rwanda.  I took him on for signing that welfare bill and on and on… there were a number of things I took Bill Clinton to task for and nobody black, as much as we love Bill Clinton, ever said, ‘don’t hold Bill Clinton accountable.’ But, Barack Obama shows up and all of a sudden I’m not supposed to talk about accountability.  Well, that’s not the role that I play. He has his role to play, I’ve got my role to play and those two roles ‘can’ co-exist.  

It’s just interesting to me, the critique that I was laying out two years ago is the crux of the progressives who critique the President now. First of all, years ago, I was saying that enough is not being done for poor people.  The wars that we are engaged in --Dr. (Martin Luther) King said that war is the enemy of the poor.  So, who are you with; are you with Obama or are you with Dr. King? I’m opposed to these wars all the way.  The bottom line is that I am not saying anything in 2011 that I wasn’t saying three years ago when his campaign first took off. I didn’t change, I didn’t move.  Black people en masse did because they wanted him to be elected so badly that they didn’t understand or allow me and others to do what we’ve always done on their behalf and in their best interest.

We need to hold folk accountable.  If you stop holding [President] Obama accountable, if you give him a pass, basically, how do you come back to the next president and start making demands? It doesn’t work that way. You’ve got to hold all presidents accountable, hold all leaders accountable.

Talk2SV: Would it be unfair to characterize your relationship with the president to that of Dr. Martin Luther King, JR and Malcolm X? 

Smiley: That is a powerful, powerful, powerful question; one that somebody raised with me in private, recently.   Only in this sense because I’m reluctant to cast myself in the shadow of Martin or Malcolm although everybody knows that Dr. King is my hero. I’ve always said that I think Dr. King is the greatest American we’ve ever produced.  I’m reluctant to cast myself in either of their shadows, equally, I’m reluctant to put Barack Obama in either of those shadows because I don’t know who would be Martin and I don’t know who would be Malcolm (laughter). That is tough to do, number one. I do take your question and I would agree with it in this limited sense.

Both Martin and Malcolm wanted the best for black America and they had two different tactics or strategies for achieving that; but, Malcolm loved black people and Martin loved black people. I would like to believe that on that score, the President and I agree. I hope that both of us have a deep and an abiding love for black people. And, if there is a difference, he has his way of trying to show that love and I have my way of trying to show that love, I don’t know, the President would have to answer that.  I’ve never heard Barack Obama explicitly say, ‘I love black people, and there ain’t nothing you all can do about it.’ I say that all the time. I’ve never heard the President talk explicitly about his deep and abiding love for black people so I’m going to make the assumption that he loves black people.  He’s been more universalistic.  I’ve said it countless times, everybody knows that and I’ve tried to express it through my life, my career and my work. 

So, let’s assume that we both love black people. The evidence though is clear that black people are not getting the kind of love that they deserve. We both may love black people, but, love is an expression and the expression of loving black people is getting them out of poverty. Further, the expression of loving black people is understanding that war is their enemy.  Even if we agree or even if there is some commonality of the love of black people; even if I allow for the fact that we may have two different ways of expressing that love, strategizing around that love, it still comes down to point number three: where is the expression of that love? Where is the evidence of that love? Expression is one thing, evidence is another; you may express your particular love, but where is the evidence? I want to know where the evidence is that black folk are being loved, being respected and being regarded by this administration.

Talk2SV: There is a definite spiritual tone in this book.  At this juncture, you are best understood for what aspect?

Smiley: I was just in conversation with my staff recently and we were wrestling with this question inside of our company. These are the kinds of questions you have to wrestle with when you’re trying to expand, promote and grow your brand.  It is important to understand how people see you and how they view you in juxtaposition to where you’re trying to go with the brand. Your question was the centerpiece of a big company meeting with my executive team. 

The short answer is, heretofore, people have seen me as talent: talent on TV, on radio, as an author, as a lecturer.  The direction we’re trying to take our brand in now is for people to look at us a bit differently, a bit more entrepreneurially.  We own a publishing company, we own a speakers bureau, we own our TV show, we own a couple of radio shows, we have a foundation that we run, and we own a book-publishing and music-publishing house.  The theme music that you hear on my TV show and on my radio show, we own that music.  One of those theme songs was written by George Duke and was Grammy nominated.  We get residuals on our music publishing.  All the photos that are taken of our TV show, we own the photos.  The point is all of these tentacles speak to the entrepreneurial enterprise that we now have.  Again, people see me as talent but in time, they’re going to see us for the entrepreneurial tentacles that we’re sprouting.