April 17, 2023 | Read Online

Under New Management

Needed changes don't occur until a leader knows the essence of the problems.

Before 1999, they would hang Super Bowl banners at their stadium.

Before 1999, they had a 10-year season ticket waiting list and a rabid fan base.

Before 1999, they hosted presidents, senators and foreign dignitaries at their games.

Before 1999, they lit up the nation's capital on Sundays or for Monday Night Football with fans watching worldwide.

But that all changed when Dan Snyder became Washington owner. Under his leadership, his team won 164 games, lost 220 and tied two.

His teams produced two playoff wins during his reign and never came close to a title. After years of running among the most toxic workplaces in sports, Snyder has sold the team and will leave D.C., making every Commanders fan ecstatic.

Now, the new owners will do what many leaders have when taking over a once-proud franchise. They'll hang a huge sign proclaiming:

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.

For many, the removal of Snyder sends a message of hope to those both inside and outside the organization.

But is it enough? Does the subtraction of one guarantee success for the rest?

Probably not.

Many new leaders come in with a 100-day plan to start their terms, when in reality, a 100-day plan looking retroactively is often the best pathway. Spending a considerable amount of time looking back at mistakes is often the first step toward moving forward.

As Snyder exits the building, he will get blamed for everything, and rightly so.

But the needed changes won't occur until the leader knows the essence of the problems.

Apple was once in similar position to Washington. When Steve Jobs came back for his second stint as top executive, he knew he needed to return the company to its core principles. He also knew everyone had ideas on how to fix its problems.

As a result, Jobs became even more laser-focused.

"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully," Jobs said.

Jobs, in essence, used the Law of Elimination — separating the essential from the trivial.

The only way the new owners can pick carefully is by understanding the totality of the problems of Snyder's leadership over the past two-plus decades.

Snyder's organization wasn't some fender-bender accident; it was a pattern of 24 years of reckless driving that isn't easily compensated for.

And hanging a new sign or changing the colors isn't going to be the driving force of change. To best use the Law of Elimination, the new owners must look back — as bad as the view might be — to ultimately move forward.

Yes, Snyder will be gone.

But his destruction isn't.