There are only 32 jobs like it in the world. Some would consider it an elite club. Once you’ve made it into the club, by most persons accounts, then you’ve really made it.
The perks of the job could be considered awesome; in some cases your legacy is immortalized. Children will hear words like legacy, sacrifice, team and honor when your name is mentioned. However, the same could also be said if your mess up. Words like micromanager, failure, and couldn’t win the big one could also be attached to your legacy like an albatross to your neck.
Finally we come to the case here in Miami, where you can even be a member of this club and your boss decides to incapacitate you in the media.
Is it fair to say that it’s tough being a head coach in the NFL these days or what?
The short version of this story and its HR implications are pretty obvious. CEO loses faith in key person on the team and decides to “do something about it”. Person who’s now on the outs has no idea that the search to replace them is happening, hell HR has no idea it’s happening because the CEO hasn’t told anyone. The media (or rumor mill in the office) finds out about the search and it gets out as a major story. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before folks.
Coach Tony Sparano of the Dolphins had no idea that the team owner Stephen Ross was looking for his replacement. In fact once this hit the news cycle, there was a press conference and a contract extension for Coach Sparano, what the heck? I think that’s what could be referred to as the dysfunctional reverse counter offer play that we’ve all seen at one point in our HR careers.
Ross is the owner, he can do what he wants with the team, but he’s not the head coach that’s Sparano’s job. When you publicly cut the leader off at the knees, well then who the heck is going to listen to them, the players, media or coaching staff? Their officially damaged goods.
If HR was involved could this have been handled differently? Maybe? But then again, it’s always easier to play armchair quarterback.
The lesson here is simple; sometimes it’s not about doing the job yourself, but relying on your experts to get the results. After all, you may get to keep the Lombardi Trophy, but your team and its coaches are going to get those results for you.
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I couldn’t believe this story as it was playing out. Absolutely brutal for the coach, team, and organization. Come to think of it, this would make a great episode of “The Office.”