Arrowhead anxiety: Turnover off the field causes concern

[Dr. Gigglepants]

Secrecy, intimidation, fear and a watchful eye have become hallmarks of working for the Chiefs, say some current and former employees.

BY KENT BABB THE KANSAS CITY STAR

Todd Haley walked into the public relations office at Chiefs headquarters on a Thursday in early December. Four days before he was fired as the team’s coach, he wanted to talk about what life was like inside this organization. But he didn’t know who else might be listening.

continued...

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/14...nover-off.html

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This article goes into a lot of detail on the changes that came into effect with the Pioli regime. Sounds like a shitty ass place to work now.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I don't know who said it earlier in this thread, but basically Clark Hunt has structured this organization to abide by the rules and restrictions of a Fortune 500 company.

I do not work for a Fortune 500 company, but I work for a company that is in the same field as many of the companies that are.

It's highly routine for employees to be disciplined or spoken with about Facebook posts and texting former employees. The entire workplace has security cameras, and management routinely reviews the cameras and irregularly disciplines employees for not doing their jobs if/when they believe that's the case. Inane disciplines like the candy wrapper happen, for good reason (and sometimes not-so-good). Everybody below a certain rung of power is completely kept in the dark. Any instances where a superior gets wind of someone below them shopping around for new jobs is met with a face-to-face meeting with that employee. Most forms of discipline occur with a reminder that your job is not etched in stone, but written in sand if you continue your current practices. Pervasive fear of getting fired is common.

Etc.

It sounds restrictive, and it is. But there are some good reasons for the company to operate that way (for instance, the Chiefs is probably spy-proof). Some of the reasons are just paranoia and power-tripping, which is of course the nature of the game.

I believe every word of the article.

The truth is, we want our good ol' Kansas City Chiefs to be run like a mom-and-pop store. In some ways, like PR and employee satisfaction, that's certainly preferable. But the way the Chiefs run their show now is similar to a lot of large corporations who do this routinely for competitive advantage.

Combine Clark's management style with Pioli's Patriot Way and this is what you get. It's logical that there's going to be a shit ton of turnover and people put in really shitty situations because for decades, the Chiefs were run completely differently.

I'm not excusing it, just explaining it.

Bullshit.

I think I can speak for most when I say that we want the team run to where what happens between the lines on gameday matters most.

Not the price of ****ing coffee, or stray candy wrappers or making the media get a pass to piss or making employees draw their blinds.

NONE of that shit has any effect on gameday. This regime's priorities are severely out of whack.

21 wins in 3 years. But goddamn it, we're drinking cheap coffee and picking up after ourselves.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Omega

If this is all Clark's MO, Pioli should be fired before long.

Meh.

Pioli had a shit first year, but because the institution has invested more resources in you when you're at his level, he gets more than a year anyway.

We went 4-12 with a bad coaching hire and a bad QB hire.

Even with those two things acting as anchors, we go 10-6 the next year and make the playoffs.

Even with those two things as anchors, we go 7-9 against a much tougher schedule with our offensive and defensive MVPs missing the whole season.

This team is getting better. The coaching mistake has now been righted, the QB mistake probably only has one more year, and Pioli has been firing on all cylanders the past couple years.

The team is getting to where it needs to. And aside from Cassel, this team hasn't really had any realistic opportunities as franchise QBs during Pioli's tenure. Sanchez and Clausen, two QBs I would've made a move for, aren't exactly the world beaters you need at the position.

2013 is a great QB class, I have a feeling we'll get our next guy there.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

You can conduct your business like a business while still having respect for people.

You are adorable.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

You also can't preach accountability to the ticket office manager, but then give the quarterback a constant pass because of one good stretch he had in 2010 against inferior opponents.

If this was consistent, and heads rolled for poor performance on the field, I'd be behind this.

It doesn't happen that way with this team, at all.

This.

Man there are some great points being made in this thread by lots of people.

And FTR, I think they are consistent with most players on poor performance, save for 1 spot.

Look at previous years. They seen safety as a weakness, went out and made that a strength. Same with wr, not I bet we see it with oline and NT this offseason.

There is however one spot that isn't looked at in the same light.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Bullshit.

I think I can speak for most when I say that we want the team run to where what happens between the lines on gameday matters most.

Not the price of ****ing coffee, or stray candy wrappers or making the media get a pass to piss or making employees draw their blinds.

NONE of that shit has any effect on gameday. This regime's priorities are severely out of whack.

21 wins in 3 years. But goddamn it, we're drinking cheap coffee and picking up after ourselves.

I agree. There's a lot not to like.

I'm just trying to explain the phenomenon here.

Throwing little fits over wrappers and AC/heater levels doesn't mean he's not committed to winning. It just means he's committed to winning while being a micromanaging control freak.

Which, by the way, is enabled and encouraged by Clark. To pretend Pioli is acting rogue here is assinine.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by unlurking

Which was exactly my point. Employees "suspected" and "feared" they were being monitored. The Chiefs "denied" that they were recording phone calls.

Now, do you really think there were "bugs" in the hallways and conference rooms and that the team monitored phone conversations?

They shouldn't fear it, they should expect it. Trust by verify! Heck, take doors down and carpet the hallways! Saying they don't tap may not mean exactly what they want you to think it means. Maybe, I don't know, and I don't care.

Mortgage or not, if you work for a company you work for them as they want or you leave. If your that into your house, then swallow your pride and do what the man says. Build a nest egg and walk away if you don't agree, but be honest and walk away.

And I agree, their non-disclosure/IP agreement was probably signed on the way in and strongly reinforced on their way out. If not, or if a modification was made on the way out, they sold their soul - or it never meant as much as money.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I don't know who said it earlier in this thread, but basically Clark Hunt has structured this organization to abide by the rules and restrictions of a Fortune 500 company.

I do not work for a Fortune 500 company, but I work for a company that is in the same field as many of the companies that are.

It's highly routine for employees to be disciplined or spoken with about Facebook posts and texting former employees. The entire workplace has security cameras, and management routinely reviews the cameras and irregularly disciplines employees for not doing their jobs if/when they believe that's the case. Inane disciplines like the candy wrapper happen, for good reason (and sometimes not-so-good). Everybody below a certain rung of power is completely kept in the dark. Any instances where a superior gets wind of someone below them shopping around for new jobs is met with a face-to-face meeting with that employee.

Etc.

It sounds restrictive, and it is. But there are some good reasons for the company to operate that way (for instance, the Chiefs is probably spy-proof). Some of the reasons are just paranoia and power-tripping, which is of course the nature of the game.

I believe every word of the article.

The truth is, we want our good ol' Kansas City Chiefs to be run like a mom-and-pop store. In some ways, like PR and employee satisfaction, that's certainly preferable. But the way the Chiefs run their show now is similar to a lot of large corporations who do this routinely for competitive advantage.

Combine Clark's management style with Pioli's Patriot Way and this is what you get. It's logical that there's going to be a shit ton of turnover and people put in really shitty situations because for decades, the Chiefs were run completely differently.

I'm not excusing it, just explaining it.

I work for a Fortune 500 company. Everybody knows they're being monitored. We're trained every day to be careful about what we e-mail, facebook about, etc... We all know that there is somebody always watching and that every word I e-mail about, talk about, etc... becomes discoverable. If someone accidentally or purposefully sends an e-mail with sensitive information, they are drilled to the nth degree, because they are that careful. And it should be that way. I don't care that I'm being monitored, but never do I feel like my privacy is being invaded. And they're not going to bother me about something petty. Look, we all know that when we're on company territory, I can't just write anything on my computer. I can't just steal stuff on company property knowing there are cameras around.

I can assure you that the environment painted in this picture is different from anything I've seen. And again, it's not about the aggressive accountability. I don't care about the gum wrapper example--I think that's a great thing. I think what is unusual in this instance is the extent of privacy monitoring and the culture that is built around enormous distrust of each other. Now, Apple is one culture where there is a lot more lockdown on information sharing, but to my knowledge, Apple doesn't come close to the kind of environment fostered in the story above. Because this isn't just about business. This isn't just about protecting secrets. This is about an abuse of power to micro-manage to every last detail, even stuff that doesn't really affect the business.

So do Fortune 500 companies do this? Probably. The good ones? Not to my knowledge.

[The Bad Guy]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

You are adorable.

You're right. People should live in fear for their jobs because they parked in the wrong spot overnight.

I understand how corporate America works. I also understand the work environment created by being a micro-managing piggybacker like Pioli is one that will never, ever translate into success.

[FringeNC]

What's ironic is that there is such little new thinking in the NFL that would make secrecy important. It's not like the new iPhone is being tested there. We run the same offense and defense other teams run.

I guess during the draft you don't want leaks, but is Pioli doing a better job at drafting thus far than other clubs?

Again, I don't really have a problem with it. It just seems stupid. If there was a huge return in the NFL on this type of secrecy, all teams would be doing it. Doesn't really give me hope Pioli knows what he is doing.

[Direckshun]

Amazing how the level of conversation elevates the second the KC press churns out a really great story, isn't it.

Let all reporters follow the way of Babb going forward.

After a story like this, I have a feeling it may be a while before somebody does.

In my company, management would be finding a way to fire somebody right now if they could establish reasonable proof they contributed to the story.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

You're right. People should live in fear for their jobs because they parked in the wrong spot overnight.

I understand how corporate America works. I also understand the work environment created by being a micro-managing piggybacker like Pioli is one that will never, ever translate into success.

I'm saying I agree with you, but Clark Hunt was schooled by Goldman Sachs.

Think back to the Great Recession of 2008/09. That occured precisely because companies like GS found a way to make an unbelievable amount of money in ways that directly contributed to an economy that ****ed over tens of millions of innocent people. GS made off like bandits.

So let's be realistic.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I work for a Fortune 500 company. Everybody knows they're being monitored. We're trained every day to be careful about what we e-mail, facebook about, etc... We all know that there is somebody always watching and that every word I e-mail about, talk about, etc... becomes discoverable. If someone accidentally or purposefully sends an e-mail with sensitive information, they are drilled to the nth degree, because they are that careful. And it should be that way. I don't care that I'm being monitored, but never do I feel like my privacy is being invaded. And they're not going to bother me about something petty. Look, we all know that when we're on company territory, I can't just write anything on my computer. I can't just steal stuff on company property knowing there are cameras around.

I can assure you that the environment painted in this picture is different from anything I've seen. And again, it's not about the aggressive accountability. I don't care about the gum wrapper example--I think that's a great thing. I think what is unusual in this instance is the extent of privacy monitoring and the culture that is built around enormous distrust of each other. Now, Apple is one culture where there is a lot more lockdown on information sharing, but to my knowledge, Apple doesn't come close to the kind of environment fostered in the story above. Because this isn't just about business. This isn't just about protecting secrets. This is about an abuse of power to micro-manage to every last detail, even stuff that doesn't really affect the business.

So do Fortune 500 companies do this? Probably. The good ones? Not to my knowledge.

Fair points all around.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

I'm saying I agree with you, but Clark Hunt was schooled by Goldman Sachs.

Think back to the Great Recession of 2008/09. That occured precisely because companies like GS found a way to make an unbelievable amount of money in ways that directly contributed to an economy that ****ed over tens of millions of innocent people.

So let's be realistic.

Thank you someone finally said it. **** the fact that Hunt was schooled by Gold man Sachs says it all. Go home people this franchise never will be shit with these kind of people running it.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by DRU

That's a direct quote that would lead one to believe you agree with my opinion on this whole thing. See how easy that was?

How in the world did you come to that?

Deny any of these things:
1) The majority of the accusations in the piece were allowed a counter-response, whether from Hunt, Pioli, etc...
2) The Chiefs were reached out to and given plenty of time to offer their input. The man being accused, Pioli, for some dumb reason, chose not to participate
3) While the story slightly skews to the negative, there is probably a good 60/40 balance between negative/positive, which is a hell of a lot better than many media outlets, which usually go 100/0

So... other than the fact that my entire post talks about how this wasn't your typical sensationalistic piece.... I guess you only read what you want to read.

[Mr. Laz]

great example of how bullshit gets blown out of proportion.

Almost every single person declaring Pioli an evil dictator the likes of Hitler, would change their mind completely if Pioli cut Cassel and traded up for Luck.

the QB position has nothing to do with the rumor-filled POS article and yet they are link because people are pissed as hell that Cassel is our QB. Some people declared war on Pioli the moment he got Cassel and passed on Sanchez.

kind of like how nobody gave a shit about whether Baldwin started/caused the fight that got his hand hurt. They hate Jones and think Baldwin has potentialm so Jones was in the wrong.

It's some seriously silly shit.