Question for those with business, management backgrounds

[tweeterhawk]

What'd you think of Kirk Ferentz's session with reporters yesterday?

Set aside for a moment whether you have (or have had) season tickets, whether you've donated to the university, whether you like what you've seen on the football field. Pretend that Ferentz leads of one of your company's most prominent departments or units, one that largely puts a face on your company and one that generates a lot of revenue and goodwill. His department has been struggling for a while, and as his supervisor you suspect some of the problem is him, some is the people he has hired and put in key positions and the quality of people he employs (in this case, players).

Yesterday was his meeting with you to explain what has been going on and what he's going to do to improve. What's your impression of what you heard? Or read?

Mine:

- Kirk gave little thought to the importance of his interview with you on how it relates to his continued employment.

- Kirk is just now beginning to see there are problems with his department (the football program) but fails to fully understand their depth and breadth, and thus how to address them.

- He does not yet appreciate that at least two of the people he has put into critical positions -- Phil Parker and Greg Davis -- are not serving him well and need to be replaced. He only refers to them as "good people" but does not seem to be able to explain exactly how they are contributing to the success of his program and may, in fact, be detrimental to his operation.

- At 59, Kirk seems stuck in business practices that perhaps worked two decades ago but are not as effective in 2015. By all appearances, he has failed to "sharpen the saw," one of the keys to being an effective manager in order to stay current with contemporary business needs and market demands. He also seems to have failed to update his own management style, as a result making him less in tune to the essentials of managing his people (players), whose needs and wants have changed dramatically over the past 20 years.

- Beyond staying in the office more during the off-season to meet with his sub-managers and to review film, reviewing the current duties of some assistants and apparently a planned trip to Green Bay to see the Packers' operation, Kirk appears to have not developed a plan for improvement.

- Kirk does not appear open to suggestions or recommendations on areas for change that would allow him, and his department, to perform at a higher level.

 

[LASBUR]

Tweeter I think one point you missed is he is at least to this point the Golden Goose That brings in the $. To pay for all the AD upgrades and keep the rest of the AD in the Black. Don't worry the Big givers will decide when needs to go. The money will stop

 

[tweeterhawk]

Tweeter I think one point you missed is he is at least to this point the Golden Goose That brings in the $. To pay for all the AD upgrades and keep the rest of the AD in the Black. Don't worry the Big givers will decide when needs to go. The money will stop

True that. But in my hypothetical, a significant portion of the customer base -- in this case, Hawkeye fans -- is unhappy with the product being put on the field and is no longer willing to pay for it (declining season and spot ticket sales). Yesterday was Kirk's chance to address that unhappiness and to explain what he was going to do to improve his division's performance. How'd he do?

 

[LASBUR]

The tide can turn on a dime. Ask Lic. But it hasn't turned yet. Im telling you these guys will decide when its time. I have no doubt Barta took their tempature before after the Bowl game

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

If he got up and presented that in a business meeting to his management group, he would have been put on probation and as a result fired within 6 months to a year. KF looked like a man desperate to hang on to something he loves.. Pretty remarkable if you ask me..

 

[HawkeyeMHA]

Business wise, everything is fine because the $ are there. But, if I'm bary garta I'm really concerned about next year due to bowl game attendance and significant number of long time season tix holders saying they are not renewing next year. So what do I do if I'm bary garta? I force my coach to release a eoy depth chart and have a presser where i tell him to reassure people we are going to turn things around.

 

[thetrza]

If all you care about is money, then you can screw everyone else and make them all hate you, the joke is on them because you are counting endless bills of money. The Athletic Department is swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck, why would they want to change anything? Why would they care what any fan blog or fan website says about them?

 

[LASBUR]

If all you care about is money, then you can screw everyone else and make them all hate you, the joke is on them because you are counting endless bills of money. The Athletic Department is swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck, why would they want to change anything? Why would they care what any fan blog or fan website says about them?

Huh Every sport but one loses money

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

Business wise, everything is fine because the $ are there. But, if I'm bary garta I'm really concerned about next year due to bowl game attendance and significant number of long time season tix holders saying they are not renewing next year. So what do I do if I'm bary garta? I force my coach to release a eoy depth chart and have a presser where i tell him to reassure people we are going to turn things around.

I'm guessing since we talking Business that the money isn't there in this scenario.

 

[LASBUR]

But Prater, the money is there. If it wasn't KF would be gone. Its economics. The OP is missing the whole point. A CEO can get up and say about anything if he is bringing in the cash

 

[DJI9424]

Here's my assessment of KF's performance over the last 5 years:

First, reading between the lines of his comments, he's basically telling everyone that he's had too many things occupying his time, other than his fundamental coaching duties. Let's face it, KF does not multi-task well, he is a plodder who needs to focus his full attention on one thing at a time - if he must deal with several issues simultaneously he is not going to perform very well at anything.

When KF had Norm Parker and Ken O'Keefe as coordinators, he trusted their judgment, it allowed him to focus his time on other aspects of the team. Please don't misunderstand me, it was far from smooth sailing with KOK, they certainly had their differences regarding personnel but for the most part, the trust was there. However, today it is entirely different, in fact, I would argue that KF is relying on his own judgment more than he ever has before. Barta may be used as a sounding board of sorts but he is not asking Gary for coaching advice, that's not his expertise.

So who does KF go to for advice/support? I have no idea, he plays things so close to the vest that I doubt that he really opens up to anyone and expecting him to do so in a press conference is just not realistic, it's not going to happen. His reference to reaching out to the Packers organization may be his way of getting some answers. But will they have the answers, i.e. is the pro game comparable to the college game? Maybe at the fundamental level it is, KF's comment "that's football" may apply to some extent but there are too many differences between the two to expect much to be gained by talking to a pro football organization.

Frankly, even though KF may state/believe he has a great coaching staff, I don't know how well they function as a unit. I would suggest that KF's statement was more an admission that he does not blame his staff for the lackluster performance in 2014, he is basically accepting that responsibility. But the key is this: Does KF have a good handle on what needs to be done to restore the program to where it was 5 years earlier?

I heard nothing resembling a plan, I heard really nothing about the vision for the team going forward and so the question remains. And if he cannot articulate a plan, he will not be in a position to recruit effectively and without the necessary talent to compete, execution will not win the day. I don't expect him to have it all figured out in January but if we see the same lack of direction come fall, then I believe 2015 will be his last hurrah.

 

[CJHawkeye]

I have a business degree (from Iowa) and also manage a team. Since the presser I've actually made the following comments to a few people...

The "fans" to some degree are Kirk's bosses. Think of a dotted line scenario. I work in Audit, my boss reports to the Chief Risk Officer to determine his performance, his raises, approve his budget, etc. but my boss's real boss is the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. If in that scenario the board told my boss he wasn't getting it done and he said he hadn't been as focused as he should be, needed to be in the office more and spend more time with his team, and needed to spend more time researching auditing, they would say, thank you for your candor, but don't bother, you're fired. You can't just say "I'm going to do better" as a solution to a problem. Kirk needs an action plan that is SMART. NONE of that is there, especially the specific and measurable part where Kirk and Barta keep moving the line with BS phrases like beating teams that made bowls or winning "bowl championships".

Ferentz either doesn't get it or doesn't care due to his untouchable status. You don't get to make up your own definition of success. Again, if I tell my boss "I don't measure success by whether we're getting all of our audit reports out, I measure it by if my team is happy, and if they're executing well." he's going to say that's not OK!

 

[cecilB]

Tweeter I think one point you missed is he is at least to this point the Golden Goose That brings in the $. To pay for all the AD upgrades and keep the rest of the AD in the Black. Don't worry the Big givers will decide when needs to go. The money will stop

Golden Goose is TV money. It eclipses ticket sales... Which eclipses licensing, which eclipses donations(except when their is a capital campaign- CHA and FB complex behind us)

 

[cecilB]

I have a business degree (from Iowa) and also manage a team. Since the presser I've actually made the following comments to a few people...

The "fans" to some degree are Kirk's bosses. Think of a dotted line scenario. I work in Audit, my boss reports to the Chief Risk Officer to determine his performance, his raises, approve his budget, etc. but my boss's real boss is the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors. If in that scenario the board told my boss he wasn't getting it done and he said he hadn't been as focused as he should be, needed to be in the office more and spend more time with his team, and needed to spend more time researching auditing, they would say, thank you for your candor, but don't bother, you're fired. You can't just say "I'm going to do better" as a solution to a problem. Kirk needs an action plan that is SMART. NONE of that is there, especially the specific and measurable part where Kirk and Barta keep moving the line with BS phrases like beating teams that made bowls or winning "bowl championships".

Ferentz either doesn't get it or doesn't care due to his untouchable status. You don't get to make up your own definition of success. Again, if I tell my boss "I don't measure success by whether we're getting all of our audit reports out, I measure it by if my team is happy, and if they're executing well." he's going to say that's not OK!

Yes, but the reality there are multiple metrics. Wins is all many fans care about. At the executive levels,performance evaluation aren't composed of just one thing, and typically have tiers. Not nrssesarily palatable for the 'fan', but the other things he mentioned aren't nrssesarily made up... But things the institution seems important, and measured.

 

[LASBUR]

Golden Goose is TV money. It eclipses ticket sales... Which eclipses licensing, which eclipses donations(except when their is a capital campaign- CHA and FB complex behind us)

I think the whole dept jumps in and budgets up the TV money pretty quick. most of the money for upgrades is rasied and KF has been the Golden Goose for Iowa on this

 

[LASBUR]

Here's my assessment of KF's performance over the last 5 years:

First, reading between the lines of his comments, he's basically telling everyone that he's had too many things occupying his time, other than his fundamental coaching duties. Let's face it, KF does not multi-task well, he is a plodder who needs to focus his full attention on one thing at a time - if he must deal with several issues simultaneously he is not going to perform very well at anything.

When KF had Norm Parker and Ken O'Keefe as coordinators, he trusted their judgment, it allowed him to focus his time on other aspects of the team. Please don't misunderstand me, it was far from smooth sailing with KOK, they certainly had their differences regarding personnel but for the most part, the trust was there. However, today it is entirely different, in fact, I would argue that KF is relying on his own judgment more than he ever has before. Barta may be used as a sounding board of sorts but he is not asking Gary for coaching advice, that's not his expertise.

So who does KF go to for advice/support? I have no idea, he plays things so close to the vest that I doubt that he really opens up to anyone and expecting him to do so in a press conference is just not realistic, it's not going to happen. His reference to reaching out to the Packers organization may be his way of getting some answers. But will they have the answers, i.e. is the pro game comparable to the college game? Maybe at the fundamental level it is, KF's comment "that's football" may apply to some extent but there are too many differences between the two to expect much to be gained by talking to a pro football organization.

Frankly, even though KF may state/believe he has a great coaching staff, I don't know how well they function as a unit. I would suggest that KF's statement was more an admission that he does not blame his staff for the lackluster performance in 2014, he is basically accepting that responsibility. But the key is this: Does KF have a good handle on what needs to be done to restore the program to where it was 5 years earlier?

I heard nothing resembling a plan, I heard really nothing about the vision for the team going forward and so the question remains. And if he cannot articulate a plan, he will not be in a position to recruit effectively and without the necessary talent to compete, execution will not win the day. I don't expect him to have it all figured out in January but if we see the same lack of direction come fall, then I believe 2015 will be his last hurrah.

Good insight, pretty much agree with all you said

 

[HawkeyesWin]

I think change is needed but......I think his presser actually achieved a lot. He bought himself more time with his customers by acknowledging some shortfalls and promised to improve. It was an effective move from a PR standpoint.

He came across likable and sincere.

In any event the dominoes are beginning to fall with Mason's departure. Once we get effective people on board to make the next hire we can start rolling again.

 

[ColoradoHAWKEYE]

I say thanks for your input Kirk, our audit dept. people are doing yet again, another cost analysis to determine where we stand. We need to look at the overall benefit we are receiving for the services and contractsof ALL members of your department, including yours. There are "some" grumblings with the lower ranks of employees (players per your example), as there always will be; As well as a constantly changing "dynamic" of many of our tertiary customers (fans with low ticket priority and our mdse purchasers, while that area is more of an overall company concern).

My concern today is that we keep that "dynamic" from negatively growing further, as well as keeping the revenue coming in (from our shareholders[donors], TV and conference contracts, and customer base) and that we find a way to placate our customers from finding alternative sources of entertainment or other areas to spend their money.

Further Kirk, I believe by meeting today in front of some of our customers and shareholders, that we have become more transparent in our operations and that may appease them for now only. But again, I remind you that behind the scenes, we will still be monitoring our expenses and wage contracts and gauging how you and your department improve upon the performance of your mid-managers (assistants), the dispositions of your employees (again players), and the temperature of our shareholders! We will continue to revisit this behind the scenes, however in the meantime, the money is coming in and you are secure in your job for the upcoming year. Thank you for all your efforts and contributions.

[NOTE: In the end, the money is coming in and the heat has been turned up, so all things are being scrutinized and monitored...(possibly including updating the "shortlist" but not acting on it yet)....It must also be NOTED that the recent meeting would/should have taken place a year or two ago with a lot of communication in the interim]

 

[528646]

If you look at the $$$ rolling in and treat that as the measure of Ferentz success, he's doing a pretty damn good job. If you treat w's & L's as the measure, I think he's been cannable for quite some time.

As far as his messaging at the presser goes, it was hit & miss in my book. He did pay some lip service towards accountability, but something I felt was lacking was a sense of vision. To me, that is the most likely important thing as a leader you provide to your constituents: a vision for opportunity and future possibility that you communicate with enthusiasm. Its entirely possible Kirk puts on a different face with the team, but the face he showed to me as a fan I felt was lacking in vision (no excitement/possibility/opportunity...really quite the opposite - more of a promise to keep doing things the same way, which, like most fans, I've long since stopped believing that approach holds any possibility/opportunity/etc)

 

[JRD90]

I think we all work with guys in Ferentz' position, guys in their late 50's who know their best performing years are behind them and are just hoping to survive the next few years so they can leave on their terms.

If your Ferentz, you probably have a couple objectives: (1) Stay around long enough for youngest son to graduate from Iowa, (2) help build Brian's resume to find a good coaching job somewhere after Kirk leaves, and (3) maintain some level of positive legacy at Iowa.

Since he knows he has enough of the big money donors in his corner, and he probably doesn't care at all what message board posters think, his only threat of losing his job is if the new UI President and/or a possible new AD decide to eat his buyout and start offer with "their guy". So I think yesterday's press conference was simply Kirk doing something so it looks like he's trying to fix the problems and just needs a couple of years to get back to the days of 2002-2004. And after a couple of years, there is no increased performance then he can walk away knowing that objective 1 & 2 above are probably achieved.