A hundred years ago, I took a job few wanted, one fraught with personal and professional conflicts.
It was thought of as “no-win”, “everybody will hate you”, “I couldn’t do that”, and similar terms.
It involved automating processes (told you it was a long time ago) to make the company more efficient, but it could have resulted in a few people losing their jobs or, at the very least, being reassigned.
A Good Job?
As my son and I talked through the positives and negatives of being the next Houston Astros General Manager, many of the same type of questions came to mind.
Why would an established GM take a job where he’s not the final decision-maker (see Trevor Larnach-Bryan Abreu almost-trade)? Why would a young up-and-comer take a job that, at least from the outside, appears to be “no-win”? How much power do you really have? Who wants to work for a meddling owner, with a former team legend advising like it’s 1994? It could be a career-ender or, at the very least, a career stunter.
Challenge Accepted
I took the job and relished it. Sure, some of my new coworkers didn’t like me or appreciate why I was hired. Whispers in the elevator, quick glances when I entered the work area of those potentially impacted. Snide remarks when something I was working on went wrong.
You know the old saying: everyone’s for change as long as it doesn’t affect them.
I thrived.
On proving everyone wrong.
On communicating, being the guy who solved problems, heard their concerns, and addressed what I could.
I had a pretty cushy job prior to this, and while the pay at the new job was a slight bump, there was a bigger reason for me to take that leap.
The challenge.
My job at the time had become routine. There was very little challenge, very little reason to get up in the morning besides a paycheck, nothing driving me forward.
It’s not for everyone, and it goes without saying that the Astros will miss out on some very good candidates if they aren’t willing to change the decision-making process in baseball operations, and I’m of the opinion there should be major changes.
What if nothing changes?
We may not agree with how Jim Crane handles baseball ops, but he is the owner and can operate how he chooses and fans can decide how to react to that.
An Opportunity
But there’s also an opportunity for someone to make their mark, take a job someone else was unsuccessful at, and turn it around.
And here’s a key: Perhaps an opportunity that you might not get otherwise, or have to wait decades for, in an organization that runs its baseball ops in a “typical” fashion.
If you’re successful, the owner will see that, appreciate it, and likely adjust his trust accordingly.
If not, other organizations will see it (as happened to me), and you’ll have plenty of opportunities elsewhere.
I’m not going to pretend these candidates will fall out of the sky, and there will be missteps along the way.
But that’s part of change - finding the right person, explaining the operating rules, and letting them do their job.
Know What You’re Getting Into
I’d like to think Dana Brown knew how the Astros were run when he took the job, as the next GM will be.
That doesn’t guarantee success, but it is a first step.
Dana had the opportunity to be a general manager for a Major League Club - one of 30 in the world.
Did it work out? Nope. Was it a perfect setup? Nope.
But I’d be willing to bet he’d take it again, in the same circumstances.