On the Job by Anita Bruzzese What We Can Learn From the Miami Dolphins Debacle

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese What We Can Learn From the Miami Dolphins Debacle The story surrounding the Miami Dolphins and whether Richie Incognito bullied rookie teammate Jonathan Martin has more drama than seven years of Sex and the City and may drag out in the tabloid magazines for just as long. But underlying all the accusations, rumors, opinions and jokes about the Miami Dolphins isa leadership lessonthat all organizations should heed: When leadership loses control of the culture, it erodes trust, commitment and positive results. Sounds fairly simple, but the Dolphins arent the only ones to get it wrong. So, its time for another play-by-play of how such debacles can be avoided at other organizations: Dont hand off the culture. If you do not manage culture, it manages you, and you may not even be aware of the extent to which this is happening, says Edgar Schein, professor at MIT Sloan School of Management.Former Goldman Sachs employee Greg Smithskewered the toxic culture of the company in theNew York Times, calling it destructive and saying he could no longer in good conscience say that I identify with what it stands for. Martin reportedly sent Incognito a text after the controversy erupted that said, Its insane bro but just know I dont blame you guys at all. Its just the culture around football and the locker room got to me a little. As former IBM CEO Louis Gerstner said, The thing I have learned at IBM is thatculture is everything. This may be something the Dolphins leadership needs to think long and hard about. Deliver a consistent message.There are reports that other football teams didnt believe Incognito to be leadership material, but thats not really important at this point. What is important is that once leaders choose someone to help them deliver the cultural and leadership message, they must always ensure that the message is (read the rest here)