Baltimore:
You rang? That was the favorite catchphrase of the Addams Family’s butler, Lurch.
Lurch is an apt word to describe organizations that over-react to one bad decision by careening in the opposite direction to make another bad choice.
Witness the Boston Red Sox. They fired President Dave Dombrowski last September, just 10 months after he led the Sox to a World Series championship. There were arguably legitimate reasons for firing Dombrowski. His expensive, “win now” approach depleted the farm system and saddled the team with some onerous, long-term contracts.
Nonetheless, the Sox knew what they were getting with the veteran Dombrowski’s old-school philosophy. He eschews data analytics and cares little about financial rectitude or long-term development. He may soon get caught up in the Sox sign-stealing controversy, too.
The Sox response now that owner John Henry, worth an estimated $2.7 billion by Forbes Magazine, feels burned and wants to get below the luxury tax by unburdening himself from Dombrowski’s misguided contracts? They’ve done a complete reversal, hiring Chaim Bloom to lead the franchise.
Bloom is a young, creative talent devoted to data analytics, strict financial management and long-term player development. In other words, he’s not going to win now. It’s likely that Boston fans spoiled by - and always demanding - championships will not react well to Bloom’s approach or to John Henry’s lurch. This means Bloom will be gone within five years.
Dombrowski certainly lacks Bloom’s contemporary approaches and financial stewardship that built a deep farm system and produced some excellent Tampa Bay Rays’ performances in recent years, though never a championship. Bloom could use more of Dombrowski’s willingness to trust his gut instincts, understand human nature and take intelligent risks.
Lurching 180 degrees is rarely a good idea. It fails to discern between what worked and what didn’t work. It wastes time and money. It fails to recognize that many leaders today possess Bloom's analytical mind as well as Dombrowski's gut instincts. Ultimately, lurching also portrays an organization without core governing principles or a framework for knowing what matters most in terms of strategic direction and talent acquisition. You rang?
You rang? That was the favorite catchphrase of the Addams Family’s butler, Lurch.
Lurch is an apt word to describe organizations that over-react to one bad decision by careening in the opposite direction to make another bad choice.
Witness the Boston Red Sox. They fired President Dave Dombrowski last September, just 10 months after he led the Sox to a World Series championship. There were arguably legitimate reasons for firing Dombrowski. His expensive, “win now” approach depleted the farm system and saddled the team with some onerous, long-term contracts.
Nonetheless, the Sox knew what they were getting with the veteran Dombrowski’s old-school philosophy. He eschews data analytics and cares little about financial rectitude or long-term development. He may soon get caught up in the Sox sign-stealing controversy, too.
The Sox response now that owner John Henry, worth an estimated $2.7 billion by Forbes Magazine, feels burned and wants to get below the luxury tax by unburdening himself from Dombrowski’s misguided contracts? They’ve done a complete reversal, hiring Chaim Bloom to lead the franchise.
Bloom is a young, creative talent devoted to data analytics, strict financial management and long-term player development. In other words, he’s not going to win now. It’s likely that Boston fans spoiled by - and always demanding - championships will not react well to Bloom’s approach or to John Henry’s lurch. This means Bloom will be gone within five years.
Dombrowski certainly lacks Bloom’s contemporary approaches and financial stewardship that built a deep farm system and produced some excellent Tampa Bay Rays’ performances in recent years, though never a championship. Bloom could use more of Dombrowski’s willingness to trust his gut instincts, understand human nature and take intelligent risks.
Lurching 180 degrees is rarely a good idea. It fails to discern between what worked and what didn’t work. It wastes time and money. It fails to recognize that many leaders today possess Bloom's analytical mind as well as Dombrowski's gut instincts. Ultimately, lurching also portrays an organization without core governing principles or a framework for knowing what matters most in terms of strategic direction and talent acquisition. You rang?
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.