[vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”full_width” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]I am a lifelong Washingtonian, born, raised, and rooted here in Silver Spring, MD. Being as I’m now 36 years old, I was pretty young during the glory years when the local football team was good, even revered. I caught the tail end of “the hogs” during Joe Gibbs’ first run. I was just a little kid at that time, but I scraped together $20 in change to have a tree planted in Israel on behalf of the team. A few years later, I had the opportunity to meet quarterback Doug Williams and he signed his Super Bowl card for me – which I still have.

Since then, until very recently, and with the exception of some flashes in the pan it’s been debacle after debacle on and off the field for this organization. The flash I’m specifically speaking of is the awesome 2012 season with quarterback Robert Griffin III (RG3). I was “all in for week 1” so to speak, as were the fans. The hype around him before the season was insane after a record setting college career at Baylor, and he delivered. By the way, when I say I was “all in”, I mean I was all in. 

First, I got myself a Griffin III jersey. I went to Richmond for a couple days to spend time at training camp. It was cool, and I even snapped a shot of RG3 and fellow rookie, Kirk Cousins, playing toss and catch. The season was explosive with a 10-6 record, their first NFC East division championship since 1999, and a huge turnaround from a dreadful 2011 season where the team went 5-11. In 2012, I was at the Baltimore Ravens game late in the season when they won 31-28 in overtime. I was also at the playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks  when Griffin hurt his knee. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that my 8 year old dog is named, Griff. 

Over the years, Cousins, Santana Moss, Clinton Portis, and other players have come along and kept me rooting for this team. That said, it’s been really hard to continue investing time, energy, and money into them. In conversations with friends and family who have similar experiences as me, we’ve compared being a fan of this team to being in an abusive relationship. The feeling was that as a fan we were giving way more than the organization was giving us. We put so much in and only got disappointment in return. For example… 

In the early 2000s, there was Vinny Cerrato, the VP of football operations who undeniably overstayed his welcome and set the team back with some bonehead moves. Included in that was one of the worst free agent signings in NFL history, Albert Haynesworth, a $100M contract over 7 years in which Haynesworth played less than 2 seasons. Not to mention he was not prepared to play and he was a headache in the time he was here.

After Vinny, Bruce Allen was hired as the general manager. The Allen name carries weight, but the Washington fanbase met Bruce with mostly disapproval over his tenure with the team. A couple of his quotes will live on in infamy, “we’re winning off the field” and “our culture is actually damn good”. Clearly, neither of these statements had any truth to them. 

How could anyone say we were “winning off the field?” Up until recently we had the most racist of names in all of professional sports. It’s hard to give too much credit to the organization for the name change because their hand was forced to do so. On top of that, dozens of stories of sexual harassment and verbal abuse have come out. Many women were unfortunately mistreated in the office and put in humiliating situations. Additionally, there is the inappropriate and lewd video of cheerleaders being circulated up the executive ladder.

Like many times before, it looked like things were going to change. In May 2018, Brian Lafemina was hired as the business operations manager and chief operating officer. At that time, Lafemina was a senior VP at the NFL and was being praised for “fresh thinking and big ideas”, a quote from team owner Dan Snyder himself. Lafemina believed in treating the fans right and being transparent. He publicly acknowledged that the season ticket waiting list that claimed to be hundreds of thousands of people long didn’t exist anymore.

Internally, he also believed in building a workplace culture that was positive and healthy. When he learned how females were being treated, he responded quickly by bringing in a workplace training consultant on sexual harassment. Additionally, he distributed copies of “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” to front-office managers, hoping to spur a cultural shift valuing trust, commitment and accountability.

However, after just one financial quarter drop which was a predictable short term deficit for a long term gain, Snyder fired Lafemina and his two deputies. After less than eight months in the job, all of that progress and oversight was gone. Within six months of Lafemina being excused from his position, more than 40 employees, 25% of the team’s non-football staff had left the team. Engaged employees who believed in the new direction of the organization had lost faith that this new sustainable and positive culture they had been counting on would continue. 

As often discussed over the past 20 years, should Dan Snyder be fired? We can’t really fire him I know, but should he be let go from the league? As a fan, do you want him to be? Is he responsible and accountable for the state of the team?  

Depending on who you ask, you’ll get different answers. That said, I don’t think anyone is happy with the job he has done. In an article by Washington Post writer, Jerry Brewer, he clearly states that “Daniel Snyder is detrimental to the welfare of the NFL. He must go.” Long time sports writer Peter King, “believes Dan Snyder is unfit to own the team.” Additionally, there are reports of minority owners pressuring Snyder to sell the team. 

Do I want Dan Snyder gone? I run a leadership and organizational development company. I believe that organizational culture is a tone that is set from the very top. As the leadership idiom goes, “a fish rots from the head down.” When you are the owner and organizational leader, you are responsible for everything that happens within. It doesn’t mean you’re going to be mistake free, but you need to demonstrate that you can learn, grow, pivot, and adjust. 

I’ve seen enough over the last 20 years to say it’s time for a change. Since Snyder has owned the team, they haven’t won a playoff game, and the performance on the field has been bad. Additionally, all of these accounts point to how poorly the organization has been run on the inside. As a fan and a business consultant, it’s hard to be all in on this team and stand idly by.

Putting Snyder aside for a second, the culture and harassment stories, and the botching of the “forced” team name change – where do we go from here? There are a few things from a culture and team perspective to be optimistic about. On the field, first round pick Chase Young is going to be a nice addition and stand out on the defensive line. 

At the beginning of this year, hopes were rising again for the prospects of this team and organization. After the unceremonious exit of head coach, Jay Gruden, the arrival of current head coach Ron Rivera was something to be excited about. Coach Rivera is a leader, and I believe that his presence here is a huge boost to the organization. Amongst all of this, Coach is battling a treatable early stage cancer and handling it with dignity, integrity, and grace. He just had his first chemo treatment and I wish him the best as he navigates this. Everyone has to have his back and the organization is lucky to have someone who can step up if needed in former head coach and current defensive coordinator, Jack Del Rio.

The head coach may be the most important person of a football team as everything goes through them. There are two other notable acquisitions that the Washington Football Team has made which need to be mentioned and credited. The first of those is the Senior Vice President of Media, Julie Donaldson, the highest ranking female employee for any franchise and first woman to be a regular member of an NFL team’s radio broadcast booth. After 10 years as an award-winning anchor and reporter with NBC Sports Washington, Donaldson is finally taking on such an important role. Here’s what she had to say about it:

“It is with great humility and sincere appreciation that I accept this new role. This is a challenge I’ve been preparing and working towards for nearly 20 years in sports media, including the last decade in Washington. I am excited to join the organization as we begin a new era and I look forward to working with my new colleagues in making it stronger than ever.”  

In addition to Donaldson, the team has hired Jason Wright, a partner in consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Bringing his experience of rebuilding companies in turnaround situations, Wright joins the team as president. He is the first black team president for any NFL franchise. His responsibility is on the business side and to improve the overall value of the organization. He recognizes that a major part of improving organizational culture is innovating in a healthier, safe, and sustainable way. Here’s how he put his culture-changing plan: 

“We’re going to move it to a place where there’s a trust-based relationship among all colleagues. Where voices are empowered in the most critical decisions, especially women’s voices, that shape the franchise because they should be but also because it makes good business sense. And we’re going to have a transparent culture where we know where we’re performing well, we know where we’re not, and not to hold it over people in a negative way but figure out where we need to better invest. 

“There are a broader set of things that need to happen. I need to meet people. It’s critical for a new leader of an organization to talk to as many people as possible. And I’m for sure going to do that in my first 100 days. It’s important to listen because culture change is going to happen at the individual level, and me understanding the state of the culture today is going to happen at the individual level.”

If you’re a fan of the team you may be thinking, “is this time the real deal? Where do I go from here?” Well, 2020 and years of being a Washington football fan has given you some practice in determination and grit. You should be comfortable, or at least a little more comfortable, living with doubt and uncertainty. There is a lot of work to be done in a difficult environment, but hold on hope that things are moving in the right direction. 

In my experience, like any relationship, and in this case the Washington Football Team, anytime there is a breaking of trust there is only one way to earn that trust back. I’ll tell you, it’s not saying the right things, it’s doing the right things. It’s about being intentional with your actions and decisions. Over time, demonstrating the right behaviors over and over again and actually being in integrity will build back the trust of a fanbase. 

Based on recent allegations, what started as an internal investigation has currently become an external independent investigation into the team’s internal operations. What that turns up may dictate the future of Snyder. Snyder had this to say about the investigation:

“Upon completion of [the] work, we will institute new policies and procedures and strengthen our human resources infrastructure to not only avoid these issues in the future but most importantly create a team culture that is respectful and inclusive of all.”

Whether Snyder remains as owner of the team or not is something outside all of our control. If he stays, I hope he continues hiring good people, allows them to do their jobs, and stays committed to providing an environment that employees want to work for and an organization that makes it easy for fans to support the team. 

At the end of the day, some people will say we’re playing football here, and the point is to win at football. That’s not wrong, but there is a right and wrong way to do that. Clearly what we’ve been doing isn’t working. The football team has performed poorly for a long time. Lack of consistency at head coach and quarterback positions have set this team back. Poor management, oversight, and a toxic culture has been the narrative since the turn of this century. 

The NFL’s core values include “respect, integrity, responsibility to team and resiliency.” As stated on the NFL’s website: 

“The high standards, fame, and reverence associated with the NFL come down to the values within this organization. Everything at NFL starts with respect, an element that shows everyone matters, and this is closely related to the emphasis laid by the organization for everyone to ensure they do what is right at all times irrespective of the existing conditions, and this is what creates the capacity to achieve anything. Such a value has a direct relation to the presence of responsible habits within the NFL such as supporting each other, cooperating, and being sensitive to the needs of others.”

How you do what you do matters. This is my belief, and our company’s belief at MindTeam Solutions, that applies from the leader of the free world to an employee with leadership responsibility in an organization. I think you have to be responsible and accountable for what you do. Being rich and powerful doesn’t give you a free pass to treat people with disrespect. I think at the highest levels of authority it’s more important to demonstrate good leadership and positive values. Don’t just say it, but be an example. That’s what true leadership is. Do this consistently over time and you have a winning culture that people want to be a part of.

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