As an avid sports fan born to a mother who could not care less about it, I gauge the popularity of a player or situation by whether my mother has heard of it. Once in the mainstream, players, coaches, teams and situations leave the sports world and enter the general news of the day. Although my mother could not name three NFL teams or tell you how many points a touchdown is, she has become quite knowledgeable about several stories involving the NFL over the last few years. From Ray Rice to Deflategate to CTE to the current protests, my mother knows as much as anyone. These stories have made it into the national discourse, all in a way that have damaged the NFL’s reputation, depleting its fan base in the meantime. And while the details of these news stories differ in almost every way, the common thread has been the glaring and destructive crisis of leadership.
As the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell oversees a multibillion dollar industry that is multifaceted and complex. He is employed and governed by the owners of the 32 teams who in turn employ and govern coaches and admin staff who in turn employ and govern the players who in turn are paid by the fans who purchase tickets and merchandise. Though business has been booming for years, mismanagement has begun to crumble this mighty empire. Here’s where leadership has gone wrong and what you can learn from it.
DISHONESTY
Time and time again, Roger Goodell has been shown on record to have lied. From saying Ray Rice misled him during his disciplinary hearing to intentionally misquoting what Tom Brady said during the Deflategate trials to omitting important data from League research on CTE, the Commissioner has shown that his word is not his bond. As a leader, once you have shown yourself to be dishonest, it is hard if not impossible to regain that broken trust. This becomes essentially impossible if you do not own up to your mistakes as Goodell has failed to do. Without trust there can be no leadership.
Lesson- You must be honest at all times and under all circumstances. This does not mean you need to disclose everything to everyone at all times, but you most certainly cannot lie about it. People want transparency yet can respect that not all information can be shared. What they cannot and should not tolerate, however, is being lied to. Worse still, if they are lied to without any admission or apology, the relationship will never recover. Be honest at all times. Under all circumstances. If you slip up, own it, do what you can to make amends for it, and know that it is on you to rebuild that trust.
FAILURE TO PLAN AHEAD
The player protests have been all over the news since the beginning of this year’s football season but on a smaller scale, they were in the news last season when Colin Kaepernick first kneeled during a preseason game in August of 2016. Since then, the momentum and coverage have increased yet the NFL did nothing to get ahead of this polarizing situation. Instead, it carried on with business as usual until the story took over. This season, the story has made its way well outside of the sports realm and has even been prominent on the president’s Twitter feed. It wasn’t until the entire country seemed to be talking about the issue that the NFL decided to sit down with players, the union and leadership to talk about what to do. Some say by then it was too late, and others say better late than never. Either way, this meeting could have occurred over a year ago when the issue first surfaced. Instead, the League decided not to act and continued not to act until the entire country seemed to have reached a proverbial boiling point.
Lesson– It is impossible to get ahead of everything that may happen so the best we can do is plan for what we know is coming and be prepared to react quickly and effectively when the unexpected occurs. What we absolutely cannot do is close our eyes and pretend the situation away. As soon as a situation arises, we must gather the necessary information, bring the necessary stakeholders to the table and create an intentional plan on how to move forward. Otherwise, we will find ourselves struck in reactive mode which is a place we never want to be.
UNCHECKED POWER AT THE TOP
As Deflategate morphed from a story about allegedly deflated footballs to one about workers’ rights, it became clear that in their Collective Bargaining Agreement, the NFL Players Union and the NFL had granted nearly unmitigated power to the Commissioner to handle disciplinary issues. In essence Roger Goodell was given the power of judge, jury and executioner and is in charge of hearing appeals on his own decisions. Accountable only to the wealthy owners, when it comes to the Commissioner, it seems the players have the quietest voice in the room.
Lesson- The days of the authoritative boss barking orders at his subordinates are thankfully on their way out. Instead organizational charts are getting flatter and flatter as power is being shared more evenly than ever before. When employees have a legitimate voice in what is going on, they will be more bought in and invested in the outcomes which lead to higher productivity and retention. On top of this, the organization benefits from the deep wisdom and gifts of its staff and can truly become the best version of itself by tapping into the best that everyone has to offer.
LACK OF LISTENING AND UNDERSTANDING
The Commissioner seems to lack an understanding and/or interest in his players and fan base and instead seems to focus solely on the needs of the owners. Although this has resulted in a lucrative payday for Goodell and said owners, it has tarnished his reputation in a way that hardly seems worth the price. The public and the players have long cried for more fairness and clarity when it comes to disciplinary issues, yet the Commissioner continues to dole out punishments in ways that seem arbitrary and unfair. Ticket prices continue to rise despite a fan base that is challenged to pay such prices if they can at all. Rules regarding celebrations appeal neither to fan bases nor the players yet they continue to be implemented. Thursday night games have proven to be a low-quality product that teams don’t support, yet whatever makes the owners more money seems to be the central consideration. Of course, the NFL is a business and its goal is to make money. But no matter how great the product and how dedicated the consumer, everyone has a limit. The NFL has been pushing that limit and the numbers are showing that it has finally pushed too far.
Lesson- As a leader, it is imperative that you are aware of the needs of your staff and your customers. Yes, it is your role to make your shareholders money, but if you do so at the expense of your staff and your customers, your business will inevitably suffer. Making money and running an organization that focuses on its employees and customers are not mutually exclusive. In fact, when employees and customers are treated respectfully, business will benefit. Do not make your shareholders your only decision makers. Keep your employees first and the rest will follow.
NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH
After the Ray Rice debacle and a couple of other lower profile domestic violence infractions, Goodell finally decided to act and instituted a mandatory minimum 6 game suspension for first time offenders. Finally, something clear and consistent to implement across the board. Except in the first situation that arose when New York Giants kicker Josh Brown admitted to abusing his wife, he received a one game suspension rather than a 6 game one. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.
Lesson- Making promises without following through is a poor practice for leaders. Making promises without following through is bad enough but not offering an explanation is even worse. Credibility, respect and trust are necessary for leaders to lead. Once promises are broken so is the trust between a leader and her team. Be a person of your word and follow through with what you say you will do, from the smallest to the biggest act. Build trust and reliability which not only serve as a model to your team but also increase your ability to lead effectively. When you do drop the ball (as we all do), own up to it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
TAKING SUCCESS FOR GRANTED
In recent years the NFL has experienced unprecedented levels of popularity to the point where ratings and revenue have far surpassed baseball as America’s game. Much of this success can be attributed to the NFLs vision and decision making in creating a marketable product and its ability to capitalize on what the public wants including a seemingly insatiable appetite for fantasy football. But you can’t stay on top without planning for the future and preparing for changes in the market. And you can’t stay on top without remembering to put your employees and customers first. When it becomes all about the money and all about making your shareholders richer as is the case in the NFL, you begin to lose your base.
Lesson- What’s that expression about being on the right track but still getting run over? Yeah, that one. Success should be celebrated and enjoyed but it should never be taken for granted. As leaders we need to stay ahead of what may be coming next and prepare accordingly. We must also remember that our staff and our clients come first- always. Once we forget that our people are our most important asset, our product will inevitably suffer. It may take a while, but rest assured it will come. On the other hand, when we put our employees first and stay true to our values, we are setting ourselves up for continued success.
PLAYING FAVORITES
Much of the criticism aimed at the NFL is due to its perceived unfairness when it comes to disciplining certain players and certain teams. The perception is that Goodell plays favorites with certain owners which affects the way he leads. Using the Josh Brown example illustrated above, many believed the sentence was so light due to Goodell’s close relationship with Giants owner, John Mara. In other cases, punishments for similar violations have been inconsistent causing fans and players to question the system’s fairness. In one study of NFL suspensions dating back to 1947, findings showed the wide disparity in punishments.
Lesson- As a manager and a leader you are responsible for treating each member of your team fairly and equitably. The challenge is that as individuals, everyone comes with a unique set of skills, needs, communication and working styles and personalities so naturally you cannot treat everyone equally. You must, however, treat everyone fairly. Once employees sense favoritism, this resentment will affect the work and may lead to people leaving or worse still, staying with all that resentment affecting their work. Further, research has shown that unfairness at work can lead to serious health issues for employees. Pay attention to which team members you are naturally drawn to and which ones you feel less connected to. How do you ensure that you are giving them equitable amounts of time, attention and praise? When someone breaks a rule or requires disciplinary action, are you doing so consistently across team members? How can you be sure? Are you having regular, open and honest conversations with your team to find out how they really feel? Have you created a space that makes it comfortable for them to do so?
Whether you are a fan of the NFL or not, the lessons above help illustrate the many ways leaders do not live up to their responsibility. As a leader, you determine the way you lead and what values you use to do so. Being a strong leader takes time and effort and there will be many missteps along the way. If you acknowledge these missteps and learn from them, you will continue to grow as a leader as you grow the relationships and trust among your team. Leadership is a role that should be taken seriously and when effective can produce amazing results and provide great reward. May your journey be a fulfilling and never ending one!
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