Learning From Pat Haden’s Decision To Fire Steve Sarkisian

In truth, we will never really know the thought process behind USC’s choice to hire and and Haden’s decision to fire Steve Sarkisian. That truth will remain buried in Haden’s psyche. The same could be said for understanding Haden’s recent abrupt departure from the CFP committee – a deeply influential, highly regarded group.  

But, we do know that pundits of all shapes and sizes have challenged Haden’s judgment – from the initial hiring to the ultimate (and some would say vastly overdue) firing. We can knowledgeably speculate about leadership challenges, and by most accounts Haden was responsible for head coach hiring and firing.

The infamous leader Jack Welch is credited with saying that what matters in any successful business is who is on the bus. The issue is getting the good people on the bus and the bad people off. Good advice but not that easy to follow in real life when the leader puts the wrong person on the proverbial bus and then needs to take him/her off that same bus. Sadly, I know this from first hand experience, having made more than my fair share of bad hires. Firing, even when deserved, is tough sledding.

“Hiring is, at best, an educated crapshoot.”

Start with this truism: hiring is, at best, an educated crapshoot. Yes, there are resumes. Yes, there are a myriad of interviews in a host of settings. Yes, there are reference checks and background checks. In sports, there are bountiful statistics ranging from win/loss records to recruiting successes. And, there is direct and indirect personal knowledge. No shortage of data points. No shortage of media accounts in print and on the web.  

But, there is one unspoken but keenly relevant hiring factor: call it fit. You can call it a hunch. You can call it a sixth sense. And, this one variable is powerful and can mask even rows of bright red flags. Let me give one example, changed to protect the guilty. Hypothesize there was a fundraising duo renowned for their capacity to boost institutional revenue substantially and in a short time span. There was a visible and impressive track record. The right words were spoken in the interviews. There was one catch: the candidates were hard to work with at all levels – with those above and below them.  

I remember thinking, given my urgent need for quality help in this arena (a sure sign I now know that means “you need to progress slowly in making this hire if possible”), I can change this bad acting duo. Yes. The “marriage” mistake — I love you but…  



I reasoned quietly and aloud that I work well with all types. Perhaps their many prior “bosses” were not understanding or appreciative enough. How bad could they be? How damaging could they be to the overall enterprise, especially if the duo openly succeeded at the assigned task and raised lots of money? And, damage can be contained.  

I thought I was aware of the obvious trade off – excellent professionals; bad personalities. I hired them (eyes wide shut) and learned the hard way what handfuls of previous employers knew: they were incorrigible. The duo was environmentally toxic. And, yes, they got the job done well and fast but the price was steep. Really steep. Almost too steep.

Though tempted to fire one or both of them at least 10 times or more, I did not want to admit that I had failed; I wanted my reformation project to succeed. I did not listen to the mantra that I then tried to follow, often with difficulty: hire slowly; fire fast.

Returning to the Haden/Sarkisian situation. It is fair to assume AD Haden knew lots about Coach Sarkisian before he hired him. No question in my mind that he knew about his personal issues, including with alcohol. Hard to believe otherwise. Sarkisian had been a coach at USC several times in his career! Pete Carroll was a strong supporter before departing for the NFL. 

And, Haden hired Sarkisian because Haden thought he could change things with USC football for the better, given Sarkisian’s many layered ties to USC. Why else hire him? New start, new AD, new players, new location. But, history and 20/20 hindsight tells us that was a bad gamble even before the “Salute to Troy” event. But Haden still wanted to salvage his hire.  

As might be envisaged, Sarkisian admitted errors post-event (although Alcoholics Anonymous would say he was not clear enough). Haden thought the ship would right itself with his guidance: attend rehab, no alcohol in the clubhouse. Haden must have been wearing rose-colored glasses or had common leadership blindness. He was protecting his guy – that’s what strong leaders seem to do, even during a game and to a risky extreme. One might say that Haden seemed overinvested in football; he was, after all, AD – not the football Czar.

The reality I suspect is that Haden didn’t want, or wasn’t ready, to concede that he made a bad hire. A defeat by any measure. Understandable but wrongheaded. He should have fired fast; the Coach was in serious trouble, although some would argue that firing under these circumstances is reprehensible too.  But, instead, he let Sarkisian truly self-destructed before students, other coaches, the AD and the public. For me, allowing the public humiliation was totally tone deaf. Then, in the jaws of defeat, with no other choice, Haden had to act.  Too little, too late. Sad too. Another lesson: fire when you can, not when you must.

Only time will tell what Haden learned. He’s smart. He’s a Rhoades Scholar. Let him assimilate what happened. He has taken it so to heart. He was hospitalized pre-game not long after these events. And he resigned from the CFP – not an easy choice. Watch for signals based on who is the next football coach at USC. Were I guessing or betting, Haden may have lost some of the Golden Boy tarnish but he can still showcase what he has learned. He has taken the first step already: he admitted a hiring error. The whole thing has made him sick. He had eliminated distractions. Wellness is next.

 

Feature image via R. Scuteri / Associated Press