I don’t hide the fact that I’m a huge Florida Gators fan living in the middle of Alabama. I catch a lot of flack but that doesn’t stop me from cheering for my team.
If you follow college football, you know that Florida had about four years of awesomeness. Then, we played Alabama for the SEC championship game last year and lost. Most of our winning team has graduated or been drafted to the NFL, including our quarterback Tim Tebow, who some apparently think carried the team on his oh, so broad shoulders.
This season’s team has been less than stellar. We’ve lost two games in a row, one to Alabama, and the games we won were by the skin of our teeth. I’m so tired of hearing about Tim Tebow I could scream. I would bet good money that the team is tired of hearing about him too.
So what does this have to do with HR? Leadership and moving on.
The leader of the National Championship team graduated and moved on with his life. Leaders in our organizations move on to bigger and better things all the time. What we can learn from watching Florida football this year is that just because something worked really well for one team doesn’t mean it’s going to work for the new team.
Leaders have different skill sets and they have different ways of working toward the same outcome. If you try to force a leader into a mold he or she doesn’t fit, you’re looking at frustration and probably failure. Learn from the past, adapt or change your methods. Learn what your new leaders bring to the table and utilize those skills.
And for crying out loud, stop saying ‘well, Tim did it this way.’
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I agree. Try adjusting to the only professional football team in Los Angeles ( USC Trojans) recent fall(s) from grace.
You could be a UCLA Bruin fan—- at least there’s consistency year after year with those lovable losers!
[…] week I’m over at the always lovely Women of HR site talking about one of my favorite things, college football. Oh and something about […]
A recurring theme for me, this one. Organizations change. They have human components and since no two are alike, the machine adjusts when a replacement is made. Over time, each component is replaced and eventually, there is a whole new combination of people that comprise the organization – like the Gators.
It’s like the axe that has been in the family for 3 generations; the head has been replaced twice and the handle 5 times. There isn’t a trace of the original axe. Just that it is the family’s axe.
We have the same problem here in Miami. For years our Hurricanes were known for their epic wins. Now, I find myself remembering the epic losses.
I’m curious how the fans/crowd would react to Myer or Shannon saying “I’m just doing the best I can”? What would the alumni/boosters/athletic departments reaction look like and how would they manage that process?