What does "Culture Change" really mean in the NFL?

[Stymietee]

We see this bandied about regularly without a concerted understanding of what it means and more importantly how it's achieved. Here's the question...

In the NFL, what does it mean to have a "Culture change?"

 

[Center Ice]

We see this bandied about regularly without a concerted understanding of what it means and more importantly how it's achieved. Here's the question...

In the NFL, what does it mean to have a "Culture change?"

More white players?

 

[Stymietee]

More white players?

Do you really want to go back to wing T's, no culture outside of that stolen from others? Please from one man to another, don't start this shit!

 

[chillerdab]

Hard to explain but you know it when you see it.

A take:
Culture change is:

-the expectation of being competitive every year, despite players coming and going
-stability
-a well respected franchise throughout the league
-a sought after free agent destination


Currently: Patriots, steelers, Rams, packers.

 

[Breed]

Stability in a FO working towards the eventual goal of winning a SB title. As opposed to trying to put out fires caused by the idiot owner.

Stop being one of the laughingstock franchises year in, year out.

The ability for coaches working with players and FO pepes working on football personnel matters. The freedom to speak their minds w/o fear of repisal which I can't swear to happening, but definitely has looked that way more than a time or two.

Stop signing or drafting round peg players and placing them in square holes. It's fuckin stupid

Not it being for the wrong reason every time a Skins player or something Skins related makes the news.

Not giving up so much during a game that the opposition is pulling its starters in the 3rd qt. No matter how many Skins staters aren't playing due to sickness/injury/whatever.

Not having to hear a coach damn near every week talk about players doing what they want as opposed to what their responsibility is on a play call. That includes said coach making up bullshit excuses about the player wanting to win so bad or wanting to contribute. "Sure, coach. That's why he did it. He just wants to win or contribute."

Not seeing multiple players in the secondary with that "who just farted?" look around at each other 4, 5 6 weeks into the season.

Not having to hear player(s) run off at the mouth about breaking records ending up not bustin a grape.

Actually building on whatever success was achieved in the last season. Or put another way. Take the proverbial step forward as opposed to taking 2 steps backwards. Which has happened every year following any season in which the team made the playoffs in the previous year in the Snyder era,

 

[Sportster 72]

Culture change is:

Being accountable for your job - this entails many things.

knowing and following your playbook

accountability to your teammates

you put team first and your own goals our secondary to that.

Why is there any culture change? Because the the owner is a turd and is not accountable for his actions.

 

[Stymietee]

This is getting interesting, but I'll wait for a few more responses before I chime in.

 

[skinsdad62]

1). Get rid of the drama , the commies need a new owner that doesn’t run a sex ring for elites to abuse women
2) get a fucking competent medical staff that can treat players correctly instead of running drug rings out of their office in Ashburn
3) listen to what the fucking fans want and stop lying to them . The name change is the prime example . They blew off 2 sets of fans
4) find a new president of the team because Wright is a mouth piece for Snyder , his Sean Taylor fiasco , and his lies about fan involvement In the new name
5 ) make the organization that fans can be proud of . The crest thing is another dumb fuck thing they did
6) since you don’t want a link to the past then do away with the fucking lie the commanders are the braves and the braves are the redskins and the redskins are the football team and the team is the commanders . It’s a new team , new identity so stop trying to suck my dick and tell me it’s the same
7). Stop chasing franchise qbs and develop one
8) value draft picks and get and keep good talent evaluators
9) find coaches who can teach and discipline players
10 ) get rid of “me “ players
11 ) don’t overpay for whining ass free agents
12 ) stop being woke

 

[skinsdad62]

i also want to add
13) stop taking short cuts to victory and build the right way
14 ) learn how to rotate players through every 4 yrs or so , the cap and its applications require new thought processes and good personnel people to scout and find talent , cheap talent

 

[Sportster 72]

i also want to add
13) stop taking short cuts to victory and build the right way
14 ) learn how to rotate players through every 4 yrs or so , the cap and its applications require new thought processes and good personnel people to scout and find talent , cheap talent

No. 14 is huge. There aren't many 10 year players on teams anymore. You have to keep finding guys who can play on their rookie contracts.

 

[Stymietee]

Ok, I'll admit it almost all of these definitions are relevant and to a great degree quite necessary for cultivating culture change. After reading them I felt as if I had just read the what of it, but nothing about how or what must be done to get us there permanently. The list composed by @dad and @Breed was interesting and came very close to hitting the mark, but despite all of those things, "Culture Change" IMO comes down to making this the most desirable place in the league to work. Take note that I didn't say play, but work, which includes the players.

So, Sty, you smart ass, how do they go about doing that? Well, let's begin with the workplace.

There’s a lot more to a business than just the work that gets done there. Your employees play a big role not just in day-to-day functions, but in the overall success of your business, too. Because of this, there can be a lot to gain from looking out for your employees, and doing what you can to make sure that they have the best work environment possible. In the NFL, this translates into doing twice the work because there are literally two workplaces that require cultivating.

One simple way to help ensure that your employees have a comfortable working environment is to keep your building properly maintained. Even though drafty rooms or a water heater that goes out occasionally may not seem like a big deal to some, the reality is that an environment that is uncomfortable or difficult to function in... in any way can have a direct negative impact on an employee’s ability to focus on their job and perform it well. In as much as the stadium, FedEx Field is... being fair, a horrible place to work if you're a player.
Just as the overall state of your building can have an impact on your employee’s ability to work, so can its cleanliness. Clutter can not only be distracting, but it can also create an unsafe work environment, too. With a disorganized space, it becomes all the more difficult for your workers to find the supplies and tools they need and perform their jobs efficiently.

When it comes to creating a comfortable working environment, there’s more to it than just making sure that the building is maintained and clean. How you treat your employees, and how you encourage them to treat each other can have an impact on comfortability, as well. While there can be a lot that goes into maintaining good interpersonal relationships at the workplace, one of the simplest and often most effective things you can do is make sure that you are actively listening to your employees. So often, people listen just because they are waiting their turn to speak. By learning to really tune in to your employees, you can make sure that they are feeling respected and heard, and can improve workplace communication in a big way. NFL players come from places where they are treated better than almost anywhere at the professional level.

Along with practicing active listening, it can also be beneficial to promote a company culture of positivity. Even though it can be tempting to vent your complaints when you feel like it, it may be a better idea to focus on the positive side of things instead. Not only is negativity draining on your energy levels, but it could ultimately have an impact on your employees' ability to perform their jobs effectively, too. By keeping things upbeat, and encouraging others to do so as well, you can help create a company culture that’s all about achievement and seeing the best in a bad situation, rather than letting goals get lost in the negativity. Just win baby was Al Davis' motto, and it didn't stop with that motto, there were expectations that if the organization took care of them, players, some of whom had the worse reputations coming in, still strapped up and kicked ass on the field.

Another way to help create a positive and upbeat company culture is to make health and wellbeing a priority. When your employees are feeling their best, they will be much more likely to do their best work for you. While there isn’t anything you can do about health choices your employees make outside of work that could be affecting their performance, there are lots of things you can do at work to boost health awareness. Ever hear the name, Bubba Tyer? How on earth did his name become a household one here in DC and possibly throughout the NFL? The answer is, that players made him well known outside of NFL circles, they swore by him and praised his work with them as core reasons why they performed as well as they did on the field.

If you truly want to get the best out of your employees, you can’t just look after physical health, you need to look after them in a more wide-ranging way, too. One way to do this is to let your employees know that it is important to you that you help them reach their goals, whatever they may be. A great way to do this is to pay them well, be eager to complete contracts and either get that done or be honest with them about their future on the team. While here, if they have aspirations to complete school or learn to become coaches, scouts, or other front-office executives, make it openly possible then, you can promote from within, and ensure that your business will have qualified employees for years to come. Let me offer a list of names. who've gone on to careers after that final whistle had blown!

1. Mark Murphy
2. Turk Edwards
3. Dick Todd
4. Jack Pardee
5. Earnest Byner
6. Russ Grim
7. Greg Manusky
8. Keenan McCardell
9. Don Warren (just retired)
10. Todd Bowles
11. Jimmie Johnson
12. Bobby Mitchell
13. Mike Tice
14. Sam Wyche
15. Ken Whisenhunt

Encouraging employees to have healthy and positive interpersonal relationships is a big part of having a pleasant work environment, however, it may not always be possible to avoid conflict. When conflicts do occur within the workplace, finding mature ways to communicate through them can make a big difference. Additionally, it isn’t just how you handle conflict itself, but what happens after that can be important, too. The more gossip that takes place at your business, the more it encourages a negative and overall low-quality work culture. By taking steps to let your employees know that you don’t tolerate this kind of behavior, you can prevent small problems from turning into big ones, as well as help ensure that the workplace is more comfortable for everyone.

​

Ultimately, the best thing you can do to cultivate a great workplace for your employees is to set a good example. If you want employees to be positive and treat each other with respect, then you should display positivity and respect towards them, and yourself. If you want your employees to take their work seriously and get excited when the company reaches important goals, in this case winning Super Bowls, then it is important for you to display that kind of enthusiasm yourself. When it comes down to it, your employees will follow your actions more than they will follow your words. So, even though it is important to put out the right message to your workers about how you want things to be, sometimes the most effective way to reach them is to be a shining example of what you want for your company. This happens when you have an identity. Honestly, ask yourself what was the identity of this team in their heyday, then ask what has it been since 1999? Think about that as you remember how different interviews with Jack Kent Cooke were interviews are now with Daniel Snyder.

There can be a lot of things that go into running a successful business, and sometimes business owners may forget that their employees play a huge role in overall company success. While building the right kind of company culture may seem like a daunting task to some, the truth is that it can be simple to accomplish, especially when you do things like build a sound business foundation, and remember that your employees are looking to you as an example of ideal behavior at your company.

---

https://opensourcedworkplace.com/author/steve-todd75

 

[Skin'EmAll]

Great thread, everyone had a valid point. If you put a positive spin on center ice, she isn't completely off, having more white, Hawaiian, or perhaps islanders, Africans all can make a stronger bond.
Sty great post, although in a sense it saddens me because that team is no where near a culture shift

 

[skinsdad62]

i dont think you can get a culture change with this owner . he would have to change who he is , possible ? yes , likely no