Question for those with business, management backgrounds

[CJHawkeye]

The vision comment is good. Telling someone you're going to do better is meaningless. Where is the how? And you're not going to change any staff, and you're already taking any major philosophical changes off the table (that's essentially what I heard). So from where is this improvement going to come? When I have an under performing staff, they have to tell me HOW they are going to fix the problem, not just tell me they're going to.

 

[Ozhawk]

"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."

[FONT=minion-pro, Georgia, serif]thus would make it impossible to fire without paying dearly with an age descrimnation lawsuit. Especially if it was in writing this way. [/FONT]

 

[Hawk90]

Every business that I have been associated with has been goal and metric driven with the understanding that those drive the bottom line....money. Does Barta set goals for these coaches? I don't believe that he does, which explains the last place performances of most of the Iowa athletics in the Big 10, (Director's Cup). The conversation should go something like; "Kirk, you need to win 8 games this year, how are you going to do it". "Gary, I am going to fix XYZ, these are the metrics that I am using, and I believe it will result in 8 wins." Unsaid; you don't hit these for multiple years you are gone.

 

[rhoffs8]

Huh Every sport but one loses money

Nice try, but men's basketball is a revenue sport as well.

 

[loesshillshawk]

Ok being a school administrator is maybe not a huge CEO of a corporation. However, my training is on how to build a core group of employees and to get everyone on the bus that is positive. The book Good to Great by Jim Collins is something I would like to base my conversation on.

Number one I think there is some extremely positive things to take out his press conference (crucify me if you will). First to be somewhat transparent is a huge step for Kirk. He admitted to needing to shake the staff up, that he needed to be more committed to the program, that he needed to spend more time with his players, that he needed to get back to things that his was successful with earlier in his career. This is what being a great leader is all about. To make sure you first surround yourself with people who are on the same page as you are. Then to trust them to do their job and fulfill the mission (which is to win B1G Championships).

Good to great companies find a principle that they are not willing to budge on. I think Kirk (whether you agree or not) has in his mind what kind of player he wants, how he wants his program to be built, what his non-negotiables are, and what his leadership style is. Now he obviously feels that he has let that "Good to Great" concept get away from him. He has new people on his "bus" and it his job to get them turning the big flywheel in the same direction. I think Kirk feels that with the changes he has allowed the big flywheel to stop and re-start and that is HIS fault.

So from a business point of view I think there was huge positive things in this press conference. Now does he have the "right people" on his bus? Does he have the "right player" in the program? This will remain to be seen. I for one look for their to be a rebound, because number one history shows us that when Kirk's teams are under the radar or backed in a corner they support their coach! I look for a solid rebound in the program. Then I look for Kirk to leave on an upswing.

 

[LASBUR]

Nice try, but men's basketball is a revenue sport as well.

Not unless it became one last year. BB has been losing money. But like you said Nice Try

 

[LASBUR]

As one of the above posters said. I think his comment lacked vision too. I hope he has more in his staff meetings. As for someone elses comments about him caring that is nonsense. I think KF big thing now is he wants to go out a winner. If he can scrounge up in the next couple years a 9 win season plus a Bowl and I bet he would be gone

 

[NCHawker]

KF gets the opportunity that we don't get. If we turned in results like that we could plead our case just like that but it would be in the meeting with our boss and the HR lady ....as they let us know firmly but nicely that we are done.

He gets a second chance because 1) its too expensive to fire him 2) they sorta believe what he says to them 3) they don't know better than he does (Alvarez would though) and 4) they are not interested in the arduous task of hiring another coach. Its easier to give him another chance.

 

[ThunderHawk]

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

IOW the future of the football program shall be determined by the whims of plutocrats.

Same as with everything else, I suppose.

 

[rhoffs8]

Not unless it became one last year. BB has been losing money. But like you said Nice Try

Here are numbers from 2010, right after going 10-22 in Lickliter's final year, a $5 million profit. So you think basketball is making less money now than then, okay.

 

[racerhawk]

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.

I totally agree with everything you said. I would add that I believe Hawkeye fans are MUCH more forgiving than anyone would ever be in a rational, business mode for any industry. With that said:

I think his ability to articulate his vision is really poor. I honestly got the impression that Barta pressured him to do this.

In business, just telling people you'll try harder doesn't get you very far.

He doesn't give the reader/listener a lot of information. People like information these days. If he is a "CEO" of football, he fails in his ability to inspire, and get ahead of a story. He looks reactive, and I believe he is reactive.

I HOPE he does well next year, but my business side looks at data. I also (like Kirk) watch a lot of football and he said nothing to assuage my anxiety that Iowa is both behind the times and making excuses. I particularly disliked his comment about "not having access" to the kind of players that would allow you to ...basically have a good offense.

A leader needs to inspire confidence and passion. I think he had an opportunity there, and he just doesn't get it. I hope he can do well, because I'm one of those forgiving Iowa fans who don't ask for the world, but from a business perspective, he's light years behind what some programs are doing these days. A coach has to inspire, and athletes have to want to come and play for him.

His biggest asset is humble Iowans who don't expect too much.