Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You hire the new coach and fire the old one.
It's not something that you enjoy doing, but to preserve the reputation
of the team, you know you must fire the current coach and hire the prospective
coach.
Once you make the decision, you arrange to meet with the current coach.
You explain to him that you know about his less-than-stellar behavior. You
tell him that you, as the director of player operations, have decided that
in the best interest of the team, he needs to move on to a new job.
The old coach agrees to move on quietly if the record will reflect that
he has made this decision of his own accord. You agree, and immediately sign
a contract with the prospective coach.
The new coach comes to the team excited to be a new member, and respectful
of the players and staff. Although people are disgruntled in the beginning,
they learn that this coach is not as bad as he has been portrayed. Together,
they work toward another divisional championship.
In the end, everyone involved wins. The past coach goes on to another position,
where he straightens up, and your team gets a good coach with a great record.
"It's tough to hire the best and most appropriate professional staff
to do this important job," says Gayle Fenton. She is the director of student
athlete services at a university. "I have made a couple of mistakes in the
past with candidates that sounded wonderful, and then were found
to have no work ethic. It's also not easy to fire people."