Should You Fire Your GM? Let's compare some FBS statistics!
We’ve all tossed around the idea at one point or another
on whether we should fire an employee, specifically a general manager. Well, let’s compare your general managers to a
study of elite college football coaches. Professors from the University of
Colorado and Loyola University Chicago conducted a study of what happened to
the records (in workforce terms, their “bottom line”) of college football teams
that replaced a head coach for performance reasons in the Football Bowl
Subdivision (FBS) between 1997 and 2010. Over this period of time, an average
of 10 percent of FBS teams fired their coach each year due to a team’s poor
performance on the field. (sciencedaily.com)
The professors used statistical methods to compare groups
of similar teams, and they found on average that:
- When a team had been performing particularly poorly, replacing the coach resulted in a small, but short lived, improvement in performance after the change.
- The records of mediocre teams – those that, on average, won about 50 percent of their games in the year prior to replacing a coach – became worse.
According to political science professors Scott Adler of
CU-Boulder, Michael Berry of CU Denver and David Doherty of Loyally University
Chicago, “the relatively common decision to fire head college football coaches
for poor team performance may be ill-advised.”
There are many pitfalls of managing: poor performance,
not earning the company profit, undisciplined behavior, and attitudes. As supervisors,
managers, and owners, we know that managing is no picnic. Even in most ideal
situations we carry a lot on our shoulders from performance levels, profit
levels, and even wondering if an employee is going to show up on Sunday evening
to work. Here are four reasons to not give up on your general manager:
1)
Believe – As I wrote this I thought of the song
by Journey “Don’t Stop Believing.” I hope you enjoy the cliché! Anyway, how do
you chop a tree down? You take an ax and chop away at it, little by little,
until it falls over. Your general manager might be going through a tough time
in their home life or professional career. They need you to believe in them as
they may be struggling to believe in themselves, especially in times of
uncertainty. Stick with your general manager and let them know you believe and
trust in them.
2)
Transparency –Like most people, your managers
value transparency. Refrain from the “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to… get
rid of you!” Nothing is more destructive than secrecy. It will create a barrier
between you and your manager, and thus hindering your relationship with them. Let’s
be honest, would you want them keeping secrets from you? They may become
insecure and lose confidence if you’re not giving them the full truth. If it’s
sensitive information, tell them and explain why.
3)
It’s my way or the highway – Is that really the
best route to success? If you want things done your way, you should be the
manager. When you plug a destination in your GPS, is there only one way to get
there? In most cases, the answer is no, there are multiple routes to get to
where you want to go. How many of us have realized that the recommended route
by the GPS is not always the “best way”. Just like a GPS, you may think your
course is the best but in hindsight your manager’s may be best. There might be
a strong connection between a struggling work team and an owner who is overbearing
with their manager.
4)
Time to mention tension! – Yes, conflict can
actually be a GOOD thing. Tension and conflict is mounting with your team so
it’s time to panic and fire your general manager, right? Quite the contrary!
Conflict is a by-product of creating excitement, however, it needs to be acknowledged
and regulated to keep excitement alive. (Creating Excitement in the Workplace)
Let the tension fold out and make sure there is a strong line of communication
from the manager to you and from the manger to their staff.
The statistical analysis doesn’t mean there are no
exceptions. As Adler explains, some teams that replace their coach do perform
better but the findings demonstrate that, on average, replacing a coach in an
attempt to boost performance is not always a winning, or lasting, solution. We
all want to boost profits or win more games but changing your coach or general
manager is not necessarily the best answer. With the four reasons above, your
general manager should begin to “win” more money for your company, hotel, or
restaurant!
Chris Langlois
