Crisis Management: A Jason Garrett Metaphor

[jwooten15]

Mayday, mayday! The ship is taking on water and about to sink. Mayday, mayday!

We're all familiar the tactic of using analogies to make life/leadership lessons more relatable and easier to understand.

The Dallas Cowboys are in a constant state of crisis - like plugging holes on a ship bound for sinking. And Jason Garrett is the ship's captain, trying to avert such crisis and find a way to patch the holes long enough to lead his crew to the promised land.

I found a leadership guide that uses elements of a ship taking on water to portray qualities of a captain during such a crisis. Some of the teaching points describe the Cowboys so accurately that I thought it would be worth sharing. I'll copy/paste some of the article and bold some of the points I found most insightful and insert some of my own thoughts along the way.

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Accept, acknowledge, and act:

1. Complaining without bailing water or plugging holes makes you deadweight.
2. Pretending it’s smooth sailing, when the ship’s taking on water, makes you untrustworthy. --- Garret coaches in a state of constant denial and arrogance. He thinks his team is so talented that scheme is deception is unnecessary and pretends that staying the course is the way to win a Super Bowl.
3. Alert the crew with confidence, not desperation. “We can do this,” is better than, “We’re SINKING.”
4. Keep one eye on the horizon. Neglecting the future exhausts the crew and exasperates management. The crew needs a future beyond bailing water. ---Garrett ignores past mistakes and doesn't care to make future adjustments. We are a lame duck organization
5. Make changes. ‘More of the same’ isn’t the answer when the ship’s taking on water. --- Need any more be said here?

Necessities:

The captain’s job – when the ship’s taking on water – goes beyond current urgency.

1. Notice progress even if it’s slow. Progress gives energy. Bailing water without progress drains the crew.
2. Give daily updates. Control the message or the crew will make one up and it won’t be good.
3. Seek feedback on your performance and input from the crew. --- Garrett is in constant search of a scapegoat. Nothing is his fault
4. Realign the crew. Some are better at bailing water than others. --- Definitely doesn't do this, either. No creativity or innovation
5. Continue development. Pour into the crew if you expect them to pour out for you. Development is investment, not expense.
6. Throw deadweight overboard. The rest of the crew will cheer. ----Maher! Calling Maher. Should have been thrown overboard after the Packer game

Source: https://leadershipfreak.blog/2018/06/29/bailing-water-and-plugging-holes/

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The Cowboys 2019 ship is going to sink with Garrett at the helm. He can't contain the influx of seawater and his stubbornness to acknowledge it is going to drown out another could-be promising season..

Find your floaties and life rafts, because we're going down!!