HELLO LOYAL READERS,
This week’s piece has run on Michigan Radio, as usual, but a much longer, more thorough version will appear on thepostgame.com (part of yahoosports.com), either this weekend or Monday. I’ll let you know.
Now, back to our commentary.
On November 17, 2006, Bo Schembechler died. He was 77.
For Michigan fans, the bad news hasn’t stopped.
Second-ranked Michigan lost the next day’s game to top-ranked Ohio State, missing a shot at a national title. Then the Wolverines lost the next three straight, including the historic upset by Appalachian State. That was followed by Rich Rodriguez’s troubled three-year run, and now almost four years of Brady Hoke. After Hoke’s honeymoon season in 2011, the program has been sliding steadily downhill.
Since the day Bo died, mighty Michigan has gone 54-46 – not the kind of numbers that made Michigan the sport’s winningest program. Former athletic director Dave Brandon stumbled for a number of reasons, but the current team’s disappointing 4-5 record didn’t help.
So, what now? In a whirlwind courtship, the same day President Schlissel announced Brandon’s resignation, he named Jim Hackett the interim AD.
Like Brandon, Hackett played for Bo in the seventies, earned a few Big Ten title rings, and became a Fortune 500 CEO, leading Steelcase to the top of the office furniture industry. But Hackett’s teammates, colleagues, and employees will tell you he’s no carbon copy of Brandon.
14 years ago, I met both of them for the first time, while researching a book on their old coach. Brandon told me the story of getting kicked off the team – something that happened to a lot of Bo’s players – then begging Bo the next day to get back on. The lesson was simple: Don’t take your good fortune for granted.
Hackett told me about going to see Bo after a sleepless night. He had been on the team for almost three seasons, didn’t complain when they moved him from linebacker to center, and never took a single play off in practice. But Hackett started to wonder if his contributions on the third-string demo team really mattered.
This is where Bo took over the story. He told me you can not be a leader unless you like people! If you don’t listen to what your people have to say, they have no reason to respect you, and won’t follow you.
He add that, even if you’re doing everything else right, if one of your people comes to you with a personal problem, and it just goes in one ear and out the other, “you will fail!”
To illustrate his point, Bo told me his version of Hackett’s story. When Hackett came down to see him, on a Tuesday in 1975, Bo recalled he spilled his guts. When Bo was sure Hackett was done, he looked him straight in the eye and said, “Jimmy, I know how you feel.” Because he did, going back to his playing days at Miami, Ohio.
Bo told Hackett exactly why he wasn’t starting: he was simply not big enough, or fast enough to beat the incredible competition they had at center that year. But he also told Hackett knew how hard he was working, and he never missed a practice. “And because you never take a play off,” Bo added, “the guy you go against every day, who sees you more than the rest of the Big Ten combined, is an All-Big Ten noseguard, and that’s another reason why we’re undefeated!”
Years later, when Hackett became Steelcase’s CEO, he instituted the same open door policy. He explained to Bo that it wasn’t just the right thing to do, it’s how he learned what was really going on in his company: by talking to people all over the organization, every day.
It’s a crucial lesson: if you’re going to lead, first you have to listen – to the people who play the games, and the people who pay for them. In fact, President Schlissel himself is traveling to Michigan alumni clubs around the nation right now, armed with smart questions, and the will to listen to the answers.
This still leaves plenty of questions unanswered – about interim ADs, permanent ADs, coaching staffs, and the timing of it all. But when you’re trying to rebuild an empire that thousands of people helped create, listening to them is not just a good place to start. It’s the best place.
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Please join the conversation, but remember: I run only those letters from those who are not profane or insane, and who include their FULL name.
Radio stuff: On Friday mornings, these commentaries run at 8:50 on Michigan Radio (91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit and Flint, and 104.1 Grand Rapids), and a few minutes later, I join Sam Webb and Ira Weintraub LIVE from 9:05 to 9:25 on WTKA.com, 1050 AM.
After 12 years, I’m handing over my “Off the Field” hour on WTKA to my good friend Jamie Morris, who is launching his new two-hour show, “A View From the Backfield.” I’ll be appearing two last times on Sundays, the day after the Michigan-Michigan State game, and mid-December.
This gives me the time I need to join Michigan Radio’s great Cynthia Canty on her afternoon Stateside show every Thursday for a few minutes. Check it out!
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Great article as always Keep up the good work GO BLUE !
I still remember talking to Brianna on that November day and she was almost in tears. Then, reading your great book, which I again listened to just recently, on audible. I recommend to anyone who hasn’t to read your book. Bo always listened and always empathized with the speaker, and it remains one of the adages to live by…”Listening is a skill”. Here’s to hoping Michigan’s direction has changed…Happy Holidays to you!
John,
Absolutely great job speaking at the Clements Library event Tuesday evening. Thanks for taking so much time to answer questions in such depth. Really appreciated. If I ever get enough time to get out of the office, I will be one of the few to come in and audit your class. It would be an honor and great educational opportunity both.
Keep the Maize and Blue faith,
Brad
I’m not joining the bandwagon to fie Hoke. We got rid of Rich Rod too soon and look what he’s doing at AZ. We get rid of Hoke then Mattison goes. He’s coaching the 9th best defense in the nation and it wold be better with less turnovers by the O. We gave Bump Elliot 6 years to win a Big Ten championship. In his fourth year (1962) he went 2 and 8. Everyone seems to want to return to old Michigan tradition. OK, then give Hoke more time. He’s got the players and talent but they are still young, especially the O. Rich Rod took over a power O and converted to a spread O. The Hoke took a spread O, coached it well for a year then transitioned to a power O with a two way quarterback and young players. I told Brandon before he fired RR that we were in for four or five more years of pain. Guess what? it’s hurt. But don’t change coaches and coaching staffs now. It hasn’t worked in the past and won’t work again. We’ll just keep limping around in pain.
Bill,
I agree with your assessment. I was also a student during the Bump Elliott years and I was still proud to be a Michigan Wolverine.
The fans today have too short of an attention span and too much input on social media.
Listening is important, but not overreacting to the noise on social media is also important.
Hoke deserves at least one more season.
I
hope that this is the beginning of an end to the Dave Brandon style of operating the athletic department and a return to the head of the class in class.
bomberjohn5
Another great article with very sound advice.
Hats off to Bo for listening and caring.
When Brandon retired I wrote this to some M friends:
“I believe Jim Hackett with have his “Interim” label removed (or extended). He will favor Les Miles to replace Hoke. Hackett and Miles were offensive linemen together for 3 years.”
I played briefly with Les and an All American teammate of ours, who stays in touch with Les, says that Les really wanted the job when both Rich Rod and Brady were hired.
Does anybody LIKE Jim Harbaugh?
Go Blue!
Paul (M ‘76)
“Listening” what a concept. The new Pres. is on the right track and I feel the pulse of the Michigan program is coming back to life. As always a great read and THANK You for what you do. Go Blue!
The Hatcher Library talk on Tuesday found you at your best. And all of us appreciate the oft overlooked aspect of your appearance. The speaker wore a crisp blue blazer, a M tie and handkerchief and polished shoes. Thanks for respecting your audience. In “Three and Out”, you gave us a deep peak into Rod Rodriguez and his team management. I don’t imagine that Coach Rodriguez has you on his speed dial, but what is your estimation of how he feels today about his Ann Arbor experience, in light of our problems and his successes of late?
Accountable vs Responsible? I have been noodling this since last week and I am puzzled. The Brandon situation and other similar situations when someone is not doing what they need to do by allowing him to step down are you holding him accountable or responsible? If he were publicly asked to leave (ie Fired) would that change things and have a different impact? Would that in turn make it easier or harder to get a new AD? Replace Brandon and AD with Director of Secret Service or any other prominent position where such poor performance has required a change.
Im writing this while watching the LSU/Alabama game because I can’t stomach watching little brother play the nuts so well. While watching these two SEC powerhouses duke it out, I am now convinced that not only is M football never going to recover but that the BIG10 is in for a bad stretch as well. Homegrown midweek talent will never be consistently competitive with those schools south of the mason dixon line where football is a 10 month sport. Additionally, Im also convinced that the standards of player for non-football attributes will never be as high in the SEC as it is in the BIG10. Face It, we are on the way to becoming a gentleman’s game instead of classic smash mouth brute football. CASE IN POINT; look at the nuts, can you ever imagine a season where our vaunted rivals would lose to Va Tech in the horseshoe??? and yet they have a classic SEC coach at the helm, who is not getting the SEC talent he had at Florida.
I also support Brady! I defy anybody to tell me how ANY coach could do any better with the hole we have at the QB slot. Face facts, Devin was never recruited to be a QB and Shane Morris has panned out at the position.Im VERY worried about next year, new coach or not because our QB slot will be very very very very empty.
Someone please tell me that I am wrong!
You’re wrong. Gardner was recruited as a QB and he was the top rated duel threat QB on the nation. Go hire Jim Harbaugh or Les Miles and they could easily fix this problem. Brady Hoke is nothing more than a MAC coach. He should have never been hired in the first place. Urban Meyer pre-Fla/OSU record: 83% … Brady Hoke pre-Michgan record: 48%
John, thank you for your candid insight into our beloved university. While we all want to win every game in every sport, what is more important to me and I know many alums is taking athletes and COACHING THEM SO THEY ARE BETTER ATHELETES AND STUDENTS WHEN THE SEASON CONCLUDES. The improvements become obvious over time and the excellent coaches rise to the top and so do their teams – look at John B. Carol H. Red B. etc. I see athletes growing in several sports but not on the gridiron. It’s just “we’re young” so we have to wait for the players to mature. How is it that many other coaches figure out to use what they have, study the competition and figure out how to execute to overcome the other team? The best example was on display with the Bucks vs. Sparty. It’s not that the Bucks were better, it’s just that Urban new how to beat what D’Antonio was doing and COACHED
I am a big fan of Mark Schlissel’s but am concerned that his vision is still clouded – see A Primer for Princeton Guy Dr. Schlissel: How to Ride the Mad Bull of Michigan Football http://wp.me/p15xE1-wS