As a topic, firing a manager has easy scenarios and hard scenarios. Just so we can be clear what we are talking about, let's first talk about all the times when it MIGHT be an easy call to fire a manager:
1. When the manager is abusive to their team and is a walking liability;
2. When the manager has had tons of ramp up time, but still doesn't understand the business and therefore can't generate the expected level of business results; or
3. When the sales/stats aren't there over time, and you've done everything you can to allow them to address the performance issues for their function as a whole.
Are there other scenarios that make it an easy call? I'm sure. Is every situation different and, at times, more complex than these simple scenarios? Absolutely...
Here's the harder scenario. When do you make a call to remove a manager who has had great results in the past, but might be struggling recently to meet the bar/expectations they have created for themselves?
Case in point - in pro basketball, Avery Johnson of the Dallas Mavericks was fired after a first round loss
in the 2008 playoffs. A respected former player, Johnson actually took Dallas to the NBA Finals in 2006, had the league's best record in 2007 (but had a first round playoff loss that year), then worked to make the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference in 2008 before exiting in the first round again.
So Avery was successful, but got cut loose because he wasn't successful enough. When is it the right time to cut loose a successful manager who has struggled recently? Here's my working list:
1. When the manager in question has a distinctive style that, over time, employees tune out. I'm thinking the Bobby Knights of the business world. The screamers, the object throwers, etc. The intensity seems to work for awhile, but if that's all there is, employees ultimately get burned out over time.
2. If business conditions change, but the manager's not flexible enough to change his focus. In this scenario, the manager has lots of success early on with specific tactics, but then conditions change and new tactics are called for. The manager had success with the old tactics, so he/she keeps using those and refuses to adapt.
3. If the organization invests in a talent upgrade, but the manager can't motivate top tier talent to get to the next level. In this scenario, the manager had great success with lower level talent. To take the organization to the next level, the company provides a talent upgrade, but the results stay the same.
4. If the manager ceases to be motivated by the current opportunity. Over time, interest in the current role can fade, even for a professional manager with a great track record. Sometimes change is the best thing for everyone.
I think there are a variety of scenarios when a change is the best thing for a manager and a company alike. To keep things fresh and have a long term career with a single company in today's world, managers have to stay alert and reinvent themselves every 2-3 years - to show value to the company, but also to keep the current opportunity fresh from their own perspective.
And that's easy to say, hard to do.
Kris,
Which of your 4 situations does Avery fall under? It's not clear to me that he fits any of those. Anyway, here are three other coaches to fit your senarios (you already have Coach Knight for #1):
#2. Denny Crum; a legend at UofL and arguably the greatest college coach of the '80s. Prop-48 plus the three-point line helped derail his success.
#3. Tubby Smith; overachieved at Tulsa and Georgia, where his grinding, physical style kept his teams in contention with the "big boys" and even led to some upsets. However, when dealt the great talent that comes with the Kentucky job, his style resulted in too many close games against teams with inferior talent.
#4. Larry Brown - where hasn't this guy lost interest?
Posted by: Chris | May 06, 2008 at 11:21 AM