How Difficult (Horrible?) People Lose the Room

Have you ever been asked to do something really bad- and said no?

 

It’s happened to me several times, and I’ve said no… at least that’s what I remember.

 

One time stands out.

 

I was a senior in high school, and some friends asked me to “damage the school”- I’ll keep it vague. Now, I always had a great excuse.

 

“My Mom used to teach in the school district, so all the teachers know me and my parents. I can’t do it.”

 

Turns out that they all got caught, couldn’t graduate, and had to go to summer school.

 

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One way the world gets rid of horrible people is when the people around them say no. This is a concept Vladimir Putin may want to keep in mind, as he tries to level Ukraine in the spring of 2022.

 

The Plot to Kill Hitler

 

In July of 1944, a group of high-ranking Nazi officer attempted to kill Adolph Hitler. It’s becoming clear to many Germans that the war is lost, including a number of senior military officers. A group planted a bomb that went off during a meeting at the Wolf’s Lair (I love a good lair), one of Hitler’s military headquarters.

 

The group had a plan in place to arrest Nazi leadership and put others in charge that would negotiate and end to the war.

 

The parallels to Putin are interesting- Putin also spends a great deal of time isolated in the woods. Both men were concerned for their safety- makes sense. A quote from the article:

 

“Since the late 1930s and his rise to the top of Germany’s political scene, assassination attempts against him had become somewhat routine. Growing increasingly paranoid, Hitler routinely changed his schedule at the last minute and with no prior notice.”

 

The attempt failed, but it illustrates the fact that many Germans- including senior military officers- were willing to turn on Hitler.

 

Hitler committed suicide in April of 1945, as the Allied forces closed in.

 

As John Lennon once sang:

 

“Instant Karma’s going to get you
Going to knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon you’re going to be dead”

 

Not Everyone Was on Board With Napoleon

 

Like Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte made the really bad decision to invade Russia and didn’t withdraw before winter set in. It is estimated that the French army lost 50,000 deserters during the winter retreat. A Napoleon biography explains that, each day on the frigid march home, you could hear frequent gunshots from soldiers killing themselves in the woods.

 

Yikes!

 

As explained here: “after a disastrous French invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon abdicated the throne two years later and was exiled to the island of Elba.”

 

Napoleon’s escaped from exile, reformed an army in France, and ultimately lost the battle of Waterloo.

 

So, what do we learn from Napoleon and Hitler?

 

When you start to wear on people, you “lose the room.” People just don’t buy what you’re selling anymore. Both leaders wore down their supporters with an iron-fisted rule and bad decision-making. Losses pile up, morale sinks, and the military starts to wonder if they really want to keep going.

 

We see a similar pattern with coaches. It’s not as gruesome as war, but there are parallels.

 

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How Urban Meyer Lost the Room

 

Remember when Urban Meyer could do no wrong?

 

He was the head football coach at Florida and Ohio State (among others), and won National Championships. He was fired after just 13 games as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL.

 

So what happened?

 

• Caustic: He frequently criticized players, coaches, and staff- many times while they were present. He also violated NFL policy on the amount of contact allowed during practices.

 

• Unprepared: He didn’t educate himself on players and teams in the NFL before he took the job.

 

• Poor hiring decisions: Hired a coach who resigned 48 hours later, after complaints of abuse by former players. Meyer claimed that he vetted the coach before the hiring.

 

Perhaps the worst issue:

 

“Meyer didn’t take a plane ride home with the Jaguars after a tough “Thursday Night Football” loss to the Bengals, deciding to stay in Ohio — unorthodox behavior for an NFL head coach. Two days later, a video went viral of Meyer dancing with a young female in a Columbus bar that wasn’t his wife.

Meyer issued an apology two days later.”

Ok, enough piling on…but you get the point. Football is the ultimate team sport, and the season is physically grueling. If a coach doesn’t have each player’s back, he’ll lose the room quickly.

So, what can you do in an interview situation to avoid a problem boss?

Prepare to learn from my mistake.

Employee Turnover: The Canary in the Coal Mine

 

In 1997, I interviewed for a sales position for a business that sold employee benefit plans. I thought the CEO was a little strange, but the people he hired were impressive, so I took the job.

 

There’s one question I should have asked the CEO.

 

“What percentage of your salespeople earned a sales bonus in the last five years?”

 

The answer? Zero.

As it turns out, the CEO set unachievable sales goals for bonuses- and no salesperson during his tenure as CEO ever earned a bonus. He hired great people, who would get frustrated and leave. Employee turnover for salespeople was about two years- why stay?

 

But then karma entered the picture.

 

Each salesperson’s bonus was based on individual (and impossible to achieve) goals, while the CEO’s bonus was based on company-wide sales. So, in early December of each year, he’s gather his salespeople to see which deals could be closed before year end to meet the company goal.

 

The result?

Silence. None of the salespeople were close to a bonus- they were trying to close deals for NEXT YEAR- when they had a better shot (a long shot) at a bonus.

 

I left in two years, and the CEO was forced out shortly after.

 

The world has a way of dealing with difficult people.

 

 

Food for thought

 

Ken

 

Image: Frustration