http://the8manrotation.com

2. The
8
Man
Rotation:
A
Look
At
Sports
and
HR
The
2012
Season
By
Steve
Boese
Kris
Dunn
Lance
Haun
Tim
Sackett
Matthew
Stollak

3. Table
of
Contents
Foreword
by
China
Gorman
and
Dwane
Lay
Introduction
HR
Planning
and
Strategy
“HR’s
Unwritten
Rules”
by
Tim
Sackett
“You
Want
A
Jerry
Jones
Type
Owner”
by
Tim
Sackett
“The
LA
Riots
and
How
Sports
Can
Help
Understand
the
World
Beyond
It”
by
Lance
Haun
Staffing
and
Career
Considerations
“How’s
Your
Network
with
Talented
Middle
School
Kids?”
by
Steve
Boese
“He
Toyed
with
Me.
He
Lied
to
Me.
He
Intimidated
Me.”
by
Steve
Boese
“Three
Stories
You
Should
Be
Able
To
Tell
Candidates”
by
Steve
Boese
“Should
You
Give
the
Assessment
if
You
Don’t
Care
About
the
Results?”
by
Steve
Boese
“The
Academic
Version
of
“Unemployed
Need
Not
Apply”
by
Matthew
Stollak
“Why
I’d
Hire
A
Penn
State
Football
Player”
by
Matthew
Stollak
“Why
Tom
Izzo
and
Mark
Hollis
Get
It”
by
Matthew
Stollak
“Some
Hiring
Managers
Rate
the
Attractiveness
of
Your
Spouse…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“Hiring
Former
Athletes
as
a
Recruiting
Strategy
–
Genius
of
a
Cop-­‐Out?”
by
Kris
Dunn
“How
Not
to
Hire
a
D1
Football
Coach
in
the
Big
Ten”
by
Tim
Sackett
Training
and
Development
“10
Years
Later,
Still
Talkin’
About
Practice”
by
Steve
Boese
“MAMBA
OUT:
Leadership
and
Likability”
by
Steve
Boese
“Want
to
Be
a
Great
People
Manager?
Don’t
Watch
the
Ball…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“Don’t
Send
Me
Your
Kid
and
Expect
Me
to
Fix
the
Big
Problems…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“It’s
Hard,
But
It’s
Fair”
by
Tim
Sackett
“Are
You
Really
Giving
100%
-­‐
Super
Bowl
Edition”
by
Tim
Sackett
Performance
and
Talent
Management
“Step
Stone
or
Destination?
If
You
are
not
Sure,
the
Talent
Will
Let
You
Know”
by
Steve
Boese
“In
the
Interview,
Talk
About
Your
Talent
Plan”
by
Steve
Boese

4. “The
Future
Performance
Enhanced
Workplace”
by
Steve
Boese
“Tuesday,
Rain,
and
Playing
the
Long
Game”
by
Steve
Boese
“French
Fried
and
Who
Takes
the
Heat
When
You
Reach
for
Talent”
by
Steve
Boese
“Value,
Pricing
and
Early
Retirement”
by
Steve
Boese
“I
Feel
Alright”
by
Matthew
Stollak
“King
for
a
Day”
by
Matthew
Stollak
“Late
at
Night”
by
Matthew
Stollak
“When
to
Bet
Your
Future
on
a
Single
FTE…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“The
NFL
Bounty
System:
Mama
Said
Knock
You
Out…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“Rob
Gronkowski
is
That
Young
HiPo
Who’s
Either
Going
to
End
up
Running
Your
Company,
Or…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“Trying
Not
To
Lose
in
HR”
by
Tim
Sackett
“The
HR
Olympics”
by
Tim
Sackett
“Moneyball,
Talent,
And
Where
This
Is
All
Going”
by
Lance
Haun
“The
Difference
Talent
at
the
Top
Makes”
by
Lance
Haun
“Doin’
Work:
Looking
Beyond
Social
Influence”
by
Lance
Haun
“Billy
Beane
and
the
Science
of
Talent
Management,
The
Moneyball
Way”
“Super
Bowl
Hangover?
Yes,
Employees
May
Be
Less
Productive
on
Monday
by
Lance
Haun
Total
Compensation
“Bad
Habits,
Pressure
and
Results”
by
Steve
Boese
“When
is
Gutting
Payroll
the
Right
Thing?”
by
Tim
Sackett
“The
First
Lie
You
Hear
in
HR”
by
Tim
Sackett
Employee
and
Labor
Relations
“What
We
Learn
About
Replacement
Labor
from
the
NFL”
by
Matthew
Stollak
“Radiation”
by
Matthew
Stollak
“Great
Places
to
Work
are
Like
Great
Sports
Franchises”
by
Steve
Boese
“Regretful
Turnover
and
Saying
Goodbye
to
the
NJ
Nets”
by
Steve
Boese
“HOW
TO
GET
FIRED:
Miss
a
Deliverable
and
Come
to
the
Meeting
with
Urkel
Glasses
with
No
Lenses”
by
Kris
Dunn
“If
I
Were
Starting
A
Union,
Here’s
What
I’d
Do…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“Reasonable
Accommodation:
A
Cautionary
Tale”
by
Kris
Dunn
“Moving
Out
A
Legend
Employee”
by
Tim
Sackett
“Wrong
for
the
Right
Reasons?
When
It
Comes
to
Employee
Discipline,
You
Have
to
Get
It
All
Right”
by
Lance
Haun
“David
Petraeus,
Mike
Leach,
and
the
Art
of
the
Investigation”
by
Lance
Haun
“Unwritten
Rules,
Sports
Fandom
and
Company
Culture”
by
Lance
Haun

5.
Special
Jeremy
Lin
Section
“The
One
Thing
You
Bring
to
the
(Operating)
Table”
by
Steve
Boese
“Anticipating
Regret
and
Chasing
a
Sure
Thing”
by
Steve
Boese
“Hoops,
Race,
and
Workplace
Stereotypes:
Why
I’m
Ordering
a
Jeremy
Lin
T-­‐Shirt
Today…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“Do
You
Have
A
Jeremy
Lin
On
Your
Staff?”
by
Tim
Sackett
“Think
You
Should
Launch
Your
Product
At
A
Conference?
Maybe….Or
Maybe
Not”
by
Lance
Haun
“To
Hype
Or
Not
To
Hype,
That’s
(Always)
The
Question”
by
Lance
Haun
Special
Tim
Tebow
Section
“Tebow:
How
Many
Leaders
are
too
Many?”
by
Steve
Boese
“Losing
Your
Job
–
Tebow
Style”
by
Tim
Sackett
“Employee
Communication
101
–
Tebow
Style”
by
Tim
Sackett
Special
Bobby
Petrino
Section
“How
Many
Bad
Decisions
Can
You
Get
Away
with
–
Motorcycle
Crash
Edition”
by
Steve
Boese
“GIVE
IT
UP:
Here’s
How
You
Get
Someone
To
Admit
They
Took
$20,000
From
a
Boss
They
Were
Having
an
Affair
With…”
by
Kris
Dunn
“Bobby
Petrino,
Hiring
Manager,
Though
HR
Was
Way
Too
Slow”
by
Kris
Dunn
About
the
Authors
Cover
logo
by
Lizzie
Maldonado

6. Foreword
By
China
Gorman
What
the
heck
is
the
Eight
Man
Rotation
and
what
does
it
have
to
do
with
HR?
The
legendary,
old-­‐school,
Cleveland
Browns
Head
Football
Coach,
Sam
Rutigliano,
was
often
heard
saying,
“It
doesn’t
matter
what
I
say.
It
only
matters
what
they
hear.”
Smart
guy.
Great
coach.
When
you’re
talking
about
HR
and
people
and
organizational
challenges,
using
language,
stories
and
metaphors
that
people
can
understand
and
hear
is
not
just
critical,
it’s
everything.
Like
the
coach
said,
it
doesn’t
matter
what
words
you
use
–
all
that
matters
is
what
the
players
hear.
In
other
words,
tune
your
language
so
that
your
audience
will
actually
hear
your
message.
That’s
what
so
cool
about
the
Eight
Man
Rotation.
It’s
a
collection
of
blog
posts
by
5
HR
bloggers
–
all
guys,
all
sports
crazy
(and
I
do
mean
crazy!)
and
all
great
story
tellers.
Each
of
the
posts
included
are
about
HR,
organization
effectiveness
or
people
management.
And
each
of
the
posts
uses
sports
as
the
backdrop
so
that
the
readers
actually
relate
to
and
“hear”
the
content.
It
really
works
if
you’re
a
guy.
Or
if
you’re
a
woman
like
me
whose
husband
is
a
former
NFL
football
coach.
If
you’re
not
a
sports-­‐minded
person
–
male
or
female
–
then
the
analogies
and
examples
might
not
be
that
compelling.
But
the
points
are
still
valid
and
the
irrepressible
voices
of
Matt
Stollak,
Kris
Dunn,
Lance
Haun,
Steve
Boese
and
Tim
Sackett
are
still
worth
listening
to.
So
take
a
read
of
this
incredible
compendium
of
sports-­‐themed
HR
posts
from
2012.
It’s
not
just
about
HR
–
it’s
a
2012
sports
retrospective
seen
through
the
eyes
of
some
pretty
great
HR
guys
who
are
also
pretty
great
story
tellers.
By
Dwane
Lay
In
these
cold
winter
months
between
the
World
Series
and
Spring
Training,
when
daylight
and
warmth
have
been
equally
scarce,
and
in
a
year
with
no
National
Hockey
League,
there
has
been
more
than
a
little
consternation
about
possible
entertainment
options.
With
political
strife
dividing
the
nation
and
the
end
of
the
NFL
well
within
sight,
where
would
masses
look
for
hope?
Books?
Far
too
long
for
the
American
attention
span.
Movies?
All
remakes
and
sequels.
And
far
too
long
until
the
JLA
film
is
expected.
The
NBA?
Certainly
the
Geneva
Convention
would
provide
some
protection
from
that.

7.
And
then,
as
if
the
clouds
had
parted
and
goodness
rained
down,
came
the
2012
edition
of
the
8
Man
Rotation.
Sure,
the
name
has
roots
in
basketball,
but
don’t
let
that
scare
you
off.
There
is
real
talent
and
real
content
contained
within.
This
collection
of
concise
content,
specifically
structured
to
supply
synaptic
stimulation,
will
warm
your
heart,
relax
your
tension
and
bring
you
hope
for
a
better
tomorrow.
Or,
at
the
very
least,
will
keep
you
entertained
for
upwards
of
ten
minutes.
Enjoy,
then,
this
new
edition
for
the
new
year.
And
rest
easy
knowing
you
won’t
have
to
face
the
rest
of
the
year
alone.

8. Introduction
From
the
rise
of
an
unknown
talent
in
New
York
that
led
to
the
fever
pitch
of
“Linsanity”
to
the
trials
and
tribulations
of
Tim
Tebow
in
two
towns
(Denver
and
New
York),
2012
proved
to
be
a
pivotal
one
in
the
nexus
between
the
world
of
human
resources
and
sports.
Once
again,
the
8
Man
Rotation
refers
to,
in
basketball
parlance,
the
five
starters
and
3
reserves
that
play
the
most
minutes
in
a
game.
Just
as
the
coach
wants
to
find
that
combination
of
players
that
will
maximize
the
team’s
likelihood
of
success,
the
starting
five
of
Steve
Boese,
Kris
Dunn,
Lance
Haun,
Tim
Sackett
,
and
Matthew
Stollak
provide
within
the
strongest
writing
on
sports
and
HR
that
you’ll
find
anywhere.
2012
was
so
strong
a
year
in
sports
and
HR
that
it
sparked
a
writing
fervor
amongst
our
authors
unmatched
in
previous
years.
Culled
from
the
electronic
pages
of
the
HR
Capitalist,
Fistful
of
Talent,
LanceHaun.com,
Steve
Boese’s
HR
Technology,
the
Tim
Sackett
Project,
and
True
Faith
HR,
the
authors
bring
you
the
largest
edition
yet
of
“The
8
Man
Rotation.”
Of
particular
note,
three
stories
spurred
multiple
posts
from
your
vaunted
authors,
so
much
so
that
we
have
special
sections
devoted
to
them
at
the
end
of
the
text
–
the
aforementioned
Jeremy
Lin
and
Tim
Tebow,
as
well
as
the
employee
relations
nightmare
that
was
Arkansas
Coach
Bobby
Petrino’s
motorcycle
crash
and
dalliance
with
a
subordinate.
Here
are
the
details
A
whopping
64
posts
(up
from
45
the
previous
year)
Over
38,000
words
Nearly
150
pages
of
sports
and
HR-­‐related
goodness
That’s
A-­‐Rod
contract
worthy.
Or,
as
Rasheed
Wallace
might
say,
“the
ball
don’t
lie…”

9. CHAPTER
1
HR
Planning
and
Strategy

10. “HR’s
Unwritten
Rules”
by
Tim
Sackett
Originally
posted
on
November
26,
2012
Welcome
back!
How
was
your
long
holiday
weekend?
I
ate
too
much
and
watched
a
ton
of
sports
–
so
mine
was
wonderful!
For
those
NFL/Professional
Sports
Fans
out
there
I
give
you
one
of
the
dumbest
unwritten
sports
rules
that
is
out
there:
You
can’t
lose
your
starting
spot
due
to
injury.
San
Fransisco
49′ers
starting
Quarterback,
Alex
Smith,
was
injured
recently
and
potentially
could
have
come
back
this
past
week,
but
his
‘backup’
Colin
Kaepernik
did
such
a
good
job
in
the
one
game
he
started
in
place
of
Smith,
that
the
coach
decided
his
starter
wasn’t
quite
ready
to
go
and
let’s
give
the
backup
another
game!
This
got
sports
news,
radio
and
fans
talking
about
‘the
rule’
–
if
you’re
the
starter
and
you
get
injured,
once
you
are
better,
you
automatically
get
your
starting
job
back.
But,
why?
Where
does
this
come
from?
I
can
think
of
a
couple
of
reasons
why
an
organization
might
want
to
have
this
type
of
rule,
in
sports:
1. You
don’t
want
players
playing
injured
and
not
wanting
to
tell
the
coaches
for
fear
if
they
get
pulled,
they’ll
lose
their
job.
Thus
putting
the
team
in
a
worse
spot
of
playing
injured
instead
of
allowing
a
healthy
player
to
come
in.
Also,
you
don’t
want
the
player
furthering
injuring
themselves
worse.
2. If
the
person
has
proven
himself
to
be
the
best,
then
they
get
injured,
why
wouldn’t
you
go
back
with
the
proven
commodity?

11. I
can
think
of
more
ways
this
unwritten
rule
makes
no
sense
at
all:
1. No
matter
the
reason,
shouldn’t
the
person
with
the
best
performance
get
the
job?
No
matter
the
reason
the
person
was
given
to
have
his
or
her
shot
–
if
they
perform
better
than
the
previous
person,
they
should
keep
the
job.
2. If
you
want
a
performance-­‐based
culture,
you
go
with
the
hot
hand.
3. Injuries
are
a
part
of
the
game,
just
as
leave
of
absences
are
a
part
of
our
work
environments,
the
organizations
that
are
best
prepared
for
this
will
win
in
the
end
–
that
means
having
capable
succession
in
place
that
should
be
able
to
perform
at
a
similar
level,
and
if
you’re
lucky
–
at
a
better
level.
It’s
different
for
us
in
HR,
right?
We
have
laws
we
have
to
follow
–
FMLA
for
example,
or
your
own
leave
policies.
But
is
it
really
that
different?
In
my
experience
I
see
companies
constantly
make
moves
when
someone
has
to
take
a
personal
or
medical
leave,
and
go
a
different
direction
with
a
certain
person
or
position.
Let’s
face
it,
the
truth
is
our
companies
can’t
just
be
put
on
hold
while
someone
takes
weeks
or
months
off
to
take
care
of
whatever
it
is
they
need
to
do.
That
doesn’t
mean
we
eliminate
them
–
we
can’t
–
but
we
do
get
very
creative
in
how
we
bring
them
back
and
positions
that
get
created
to
ensure
they
still
have
something,
but
at
the
same
time
the
company
can
continue
to
move
forward
in
their
absence.
I
wonder
if
‘our’
thinking
about
the
NFL’s
unwritten
rule
of
losing
your
position
comes
from
our
own
HR
rules
and
laws
we
have
in
place
in
our
organizations.
It
would
seem,
like
the
NFL,
most
HR
shops
figure
out
ways
around
their
own
rules
as
well!

12. “You
Want
A
Jerry
Jones
Type
Owner”
by
Tim
Sackett
Originally
Posted
on
October
10,
2012
I’m
not
a
fan
of
the
Dallas
Cowboys
but
I
have
to
say
from
an
HR
perspective
many
of
us
our
missing
the
boat
on
Jerry
Jones.
Here’s
the
deal
–
you’ve
got
a
guy
who
played
college
football,
made
a
crap
ton
of
money
and
decided
he
was
going
to
buy
the
Dallas
Cowboys.
It’s
his
team,
he
pays
the
bills,
he
is
an
owner
unlike
many
NFL
owners
in
that
he
actually
wants
to
be
involved
and
has
background
at
a
high
level
into
the
sport.
Let’s
back
up
for
a
minute.
In
business,
most
of
our
owners
were
at
one
point
entrepreneurs/startup
types
that
had
an
idea
and
ran
with
it.
They
worked
their
butts
off
and
became
successful
and
while
they
might
not
be
super
involved
in
the
day-­‐to-­‐day
currently
–
they
clearly
have
the
ability
to
jump
back
into
the
mix
if
they
had
to.
In
many
circumstances
owners
are
still
the
lifeblood
of
their
companies
–
they
drive
revenue,
they
motivate,
they
live
and
die
their
brand.
Not
bad
traits
to
have
from
an
owner
(or
anyone
else
working
for
you).
So,
why
do
we
hate
on
Jerry
Jones,
the
owner
of
the
Dallas
Cowboys?
Here
are
the
reasons
1. We
hate
him
because
he’s
wants
to
be
involved
with
the
business
he
runs?!
2. We
hate
him
because
we
feel
there
are
more
qualified
people
to
run
his
billion
dollar
investment?!
3. We
hate
him
because
he
wants
to
be
involved
with
every
staffing
decision
that
is
made
in
his
business?!
You
know
what
happens
when
an
owner
steps
down
and
let’s
someone
else
take
over
operations
in
a
majority
of
cases?
You
get
less
passion
for
the
business,
you
get
increased
entitlement,
you
get
a
decrease
in
knowledge
and
a
decrease
in
motivation.
It’s
shown
time
after
time
when
original
owner
steps
aside
(it’s
something
I
think
about
often
in
my
new
role
–
don’t
let
this
happen!).
Jerry
Jones
isn’t
bad
for
Dallas
or
the
NFL
–
he’s
great
for
it
–
you
won’t

13. find
a
person
more
passionate
for
“his”
business
to
succeed,
for
“his”
employees
to
do
well,
for
“his”
investment
to
pay
off
even
greater
in
the
future.
You
know
what
you
get
when
you
take
away
“his”
or
“hers”
–you
get
“yours”
and
“theirs”
–
that
isn’t
better
–
it’s
worse!

14. “The
LA
Riots
and
How
Sports
Can
Help
Understand
the
World
Beyond
It”
by
Lance
Haun
Originally
posted
on
April
30,
2012
I
remember
the
LA
riots
but
I
shouldn’t.
I
was
10
when
the
riots
happened
20
years
ago
and
I
lived
another
world
away
in
Portland.
Other
events
from
that
time
are
a
bit
hazy
(the
first
Gulf
War,
my
parent’s
divorce)
but
I
remember
the
LA
riots
for
some
reason.
Why?
Sports.
Specifically,
my
Portland
Trail
Blazers
were
playing
the
hated
Los
Angeles
Lakers
the
night
the
riots
broke
out.
Arash
Markazi
at
ESPN
has
a
great
breakdown
of
its
impact
on
the
Lakers
and
Clippers.
But
for
me
at
least,
it
helped
underscore
the
way
sports
can
help
people
understand
the
world,
current
events
and
even
some
of
the
workplace
lessons
I’ve
talked
about
here.
I
was
barely
aware
of
what
happened
to
Rodney
King
or
the
ensuing
trial.
I
didn’t
even
have
any
real
concept
of
what
race
meant
or
why
people
would
be
upset
about
the
outcome
until
much
later.
But
in
a
series
where
the
Blazers
had
won
two
games
and
the
Lakers
(without
Magic
Johnson,
due
to
him
retiring
that
year
because
of
HIV)
were
facing
a
must-­‐win
situation,
the
commentators
pre-­‐game
were
talking
about
what
was
going
on
outside
of
the
arena.
They
cut
to
a
blimp
shot.
You
see
the
lights
from
the
Forum
and
you
see
it
pan
toward
emergency
lights,
smoke,
fire
and
people
out
in
the
street.
It
seemed
close.
And
while
it
was
still
somewhat
light
when
the
game
started,
the
night
grew
darker
and
darker
and
the
fires
seemed
to
grow
brighter
along
with
the
amount
of
emergency
lights
every
time
they
cut
back
to
the
shot.
I
don’t
know
how
my
dad
explained
it
to
me.
To
be
completely
honest,
I
had
no
perspective
to
base
it
on
so
I
doubt
I
would
have
understood
it.
I
lived
in
a
place
where
there
weren’t
many
people
from
different
races.
My
idea
of
other
races
came
from
a
teacher
who
looked
different
from
me,
a
couple
of
classmates
and
from
following
the
NBA.
Even
if
I
had
that
perspective,
I
was
still
10.
Understanding
wouldn’t
come
until
later.
Still,
there
was
something
surreal
about
watching
the
game.
From
the
announcers
continuing
to
make
references
to
it,
to
fans
leaving
midway
through
an
elimination
game
that
went
down
to

15. the
wire
in
overtime.
I
still
remember
seeing
those
empty,
ugly
orange
seats
dotting
the
landscape
of
the
arena
while
the
minutes
ticked
off
the
close
of
a
back
and
forth
battle.
Why
are
people
leaving?
Don’t
they
realize
that
if
the
Lakers
lose,
they
are
done
for
the
season?
I
didn’t
understand.
I
may
have
guessed
that
whatever
was
going
on
outside
of
the
arena
was
important,
but
I
didn’t
know
it
the
same
way
I
knew
this
game.
I
knew
if
I
was
at
a
game
like
this
and
my
team
were
on
the
brink
of
elimination
in
the
playoffs,
you’d
have
to
drag
me
out
of
there
kicking
and
screaming.
But
then
I
realized
something:
it
must
be
important.
If
people
are
leaving
because
of
what
is
going
on
outside,
it
must
be
really
scary.
Or
something.
And
while
Laker
fans
aren’t
exactly
the
model
game
day
fans,
they
certainly
had
to
understand
the
importance
of
the
game
and
chose
to
leave
instead.
Whatever
was
going
on
had
to
be
important.
I
didn’t
know
why
but
it
had
to
be.
The
Lakers
opted
to
move
game
4
to
Las
Vegas
due
to
their
proximity
to
the
ongoing
activities
and
summarily
lost
badly.
Meanwhile,
the
Blazers
made
a
long
run
to
the
finals
where
they
lost
to
Jordan’s
Bulls
in
six.
As
I
learned
more
about
the
riots,
about
Rodney
King
and
Reginald
Denny,
the
LAPD
and
the
trial
in
Simi
Valley,
and
about
race
in
south
LA,
I
was
interested
in
all
of
it.
I
wondered
what
went
through
the
minds
of
people
who
left
before
overtime
started.
Something
trumped
sports
for
those
people
that
night.
And
on
the
most
important
night
of
that
season,
people
vanished
into
the
night
to
confront
something
beyond
sport.
I
won’t
pretend
to
know
all
of
the
issues
that
erupted
that
night
in
LA
but
that
night,
sports
opened
up
the
world
beyond
just
basketball.
If
you’re
willing
to
look
beyond
the
superficiality
of
the
game
itself,
there
are
a
lot
of
interesting
issues
that
it
can
bring
up.
Whether
it
be
HIV,
race,
feminism,
fairness,
leadership
or
compensation,
sports
can
be
a
powerful
storytelling
device.
When
it
doesn’t
devolve
into
meaningless
clichés
or
played
out
story
lines,
it
can
transcend
the
sport
itself.

16. CHAPTER
2
Staffing
and
Career
Considerations

17. “How’s
Your
Network
with
Talented
Middle
School
Kids?”
by
Steve
Boese
Originally
posted
on
August
7,
2012
The
most
interesting
piece
of
news
from
the
most
cutthroat,
vicious,
win-­‐at-­‐all-­‐costs
recruiting
niche
in
the
world
-­‐
no
I'm
not
talking
about
the
market
for
hotshot
Silicon
Valley
techies,
but
rather
top-­‐flight
scholastic
football
players
that
just
like
the
rockstar
coders,
typically
have
their
choice
of
fantastic
options
to
pursue,
will
probably
surprise
and
maybe
disgust
you.
Here
it
is:
Lousiana
State
University
offers
scholarship
to
promising
8th
grader.
From
the
ESPN
piece:
Last
week,
a
hopeful
prospect
showed
up
at
LSU's
July
football
camp.
He
posted
an
impressive
4.46
40-­‐yard
dash,
and
he
earned
a
scholarship
offer
from
the
Tigers'
coaching
staff
for
his
efforts.
It's
a
scene
that
plays
out
on
college
campuses
every
single
summer,
although
this
offer
was
different
for
one
main
reason
-­‐-­‐
Dylan
Moses
has
yet
to
start
eighth
grade.
Considering
the
Tigers
are
only
just
starting
to
hand
out
offers
to
members
of
the
Class
of
2014,
it
came
as
a
bit
surprise
for
a
2017
prospect
to
get
one.
Nice.
Or
a
little
unsettling
depending
on
your
point
of
view.
LSU
is
a
consistent
national
title
contender,
and
plays
in
the
most
competitive
and
most
talented
football
league
in
the
country.
They're
one
of
the
top
organizations
in
an
incredibly
challenging
market,
and
one
where
the
difference
between
exceptional
and
average
is
often
decided
by
the
outcomes
of
one
or
two
games.
An
environment
where
finding,
recruiting,
acquiring,
and
developing
talent
is
the
most
important
differentiator
between
success
and
failure.
Perhaps,
at
some
level,
similar
to
the
environment
in
which
your
organization
operates
and
competes.
The
question
I
think
the
LSU
recruiting
the
8th
grade
athlete
story
raises
for
the
rest
of
us
isn't
if
is
it
proper
or
ethical
for
LSU
to
start
the
hard
sell
in
middle
schools,
but
rather
one
that
challenges
our
own
commitment
to
acquiring
the
best
talent
possible
in
our
organizations.
LSU
is
willing,
for
better
or
worse,
to
compete
for
talent
at
the
highest
levels,
with
the
highest
stakes,
and
for
them,
at
least
in
this
example,
that
means
doing
things
that
seem
out
of
the
ordinary,
and
taking
actions
that
many
of
their
competitors
might
shy
away
from.
Is
it
wrong?
Does
it
cross
some
kind
of
line?
Maybe.

18.
But
ask
yourself
-­‐
if
you
are
one
of
the
many
companies
that
is
having
trouble
finding
that
rare
talent
you
need,
are
you
doing
whatever
it
takes
to
land
the
talent
you
seek?
Are
you?

19. “He
Toyed
with
Me.
He
Lied
to
Me.
He
Intimidated
Me.”
by
Steve
Boese
Originally
posted
on
July
23,
2012
. I
have
no
idea
if
this
is
true
Negotiating
anything,
whether
its
the
sale
price
of
that
new,
shiny
Mercury
Montego,
or
the
details
of
a
potential
job
offer,
can
be
a
difficult,
tense,
uncomfortable,
and
often
a
disappointing
process.
For
many,
particularly
those
of
us
not
inclined
to
enjoy
the
competition
of
a
negotiation,
or
simply
less
practiced
in
the
art
of
negotiation,
it
can
be
really
easy
to
feel
like
you've
come
out
second-­‐best,
that
you've
paid
too
much
for
the
car,
the
house,
or
settled
for
less
money
or
left
something
on
the
table
when
trying
to
hammer
out
that
new
or
renewed
employment
agreement.
When
most
of
us
are
up
against
that
car
salesperson,
who
makes
deals
for
a
living,
well
drawing
from
our
prior
experience
haggling
over
the
Montego
in
1977
usually
doesn't
provide
enough
foundation
for
confidence.
But
I
think
much
of
the
angst
associated
with
these
negotiations
arises
from
the
mentality
that
one
side
has
to
win,
and
one
has
to
lose,
and
that
usually
the
'house',
(the
car
dealer,
the
employer,
the
merchant),
has
the
upper
hand.
If
someone
is
going
to
squirm
and
flinch
first
in
the
battle,
it's
going
to
be
you
with
your
paltry,
limited
experience
in
wheeling
and
dealing.
But
it
doesn't
always
have
to
be
that
way.
Sometimes
you
do
actually
have
the
upper
hand
entering
the
deal,
even
if
you
don't
completely
realize
it
going
in.
And
sometimes,
maybe
more
often
that
we
like
to
admit,
even
a
spirited,
aggressive,
both
sides
all
in
kind
of
negotiation
can
end
with
everyone
keeping
their
dignity
and
moving
on
with
the
understanding
that
negotiation
is
part
of
the
game,
and
business
is
business,
and
you
can
even
gain
more
respect
for
someone
willing
to
fight
for
their
side
and
not
just
give
up,
or
conversely,
to
bully
their
way
to
a
'win'.
Case
in
point
-­‐
check
the
comments
(kind
of
said
with
a
little
bit
of
a
smile,
admittedly),
from
San
Antonio
Spurs
coach
Gregg
Popovich
regarding
the
recently
concluded
contract
extension

20. negotiations
between
the
team,
and
their
long
time,
and
legendary
player
Tim
Duncan,
who
certainly
an
all-­‐time
great,
at
36
is
in
the
twilight
of
his
career.
Here's
Popovich,
(representing
the
house):
“He
toyed
with
me.
He
lied
to
me.
He
intimidated
me.
He
threatened
me.
In
the
end,
it
worked
out.
But
I
had
to
take
much
abuse
to
get
it
done.”
What's
good
about
this,
and
Popovich's
attitude
about
how
the
negotiations
were
conducted
and
how
they
concluded?
That
the
house
respected
the
other
side
of
the
table,
that
the
team
knew
that
both
sides
had
the
right
to
negotiate
hard,
and
that
in
the
end,
the
house
had
to
acknowledge
the
position
and
value
of
the
talent,
and
take
a
little
bit
of
abuse,
in
order
to
get
a
deal
done
that
both
parties
could
live
with.
I
get
the
sense
that
Duncan
too,
although
he
is
not
quoted
in
the
piece,
came
away
feeling
the
fight
was
fair,
and
that
both
sides
walked
away
with
their
heads
up,
and
more
importantly,
with
continued
respect
for
each
other.
Big
heavy
take
away
from
this
story?
Probably
isn't
one,
unless
it
helps
to
remind
all
of
us,
no
matter
what
side
of
the
table
we
sit
on,
that
the
guy/gal
across
from
us
has
just
as
much
right
to
be
sitting
there,
and
if
they
did
not
possess
something
we
needed,
then
no
one
would
be
sitting
down
at
all.
The
other
guy
has
a
point
of
view
too,
and
if
you
have
to
take
a
little
bit
of
heat
to
let
them
communicate
that
point
of
view,
well
don't
take
it
personally.

21. “Three
Stories
You
Should
Be
Able
To
Tell
Candidates”
by
Steve
Boese
Originally
posted
on
May
1,
2012
One
more
take
based
on
the
recently
concluded
NFL
Draft,
that
annual
and
remarkable
spectacle
of
talent
assessment,
evaluation,
and
management
that
plays
out
live,
and
on
TV
each
spring.
This
year,
my
alma
mater,
the
University
of
South
Carolina
was
represented
exceedingly
well
at
the
draft,
with
2
players
selected
in
the
draft's
first
round,
and
a
total
of
6
players
selected
overall.
For
South
Carolina,
this
was
by
far
the
most
players
it
has
ever
had
selected
in
a
single
year
at
the
draft,
and
also
serves
as
a
kind
of
reward
and
validation
of
the
last
college
football
season
that
saw
the
Gamecocks
finish
with
a
school-­‐best
11
victories,
punctuated
with
a
fantastic
win
over
Nebraska
in
the
Capital
One
Bowl.
For
schools
that
play
at
the
highest
levels
of
college
football,
the
number
of
their
players
that
are
selected
in
the
NFL
draft
has
several
implications.
At
the
surface,
it
is
a
measurement
of
the
quality
of
last
season's
squad,
the
more
players
selected
by
NFL
talent
evaluators,
the
better.
But
second,
and
for
the
colleges
perhaps
more
important
for
the
long
term,
having
players
selected
for
the
NFL
draft
serves
as
a
powerful
recruiting
tool.
For
many
of
the
very
best
and
in
demand
high
school
players
that
have
plenty
of
options
in
where
to
play
their
college
ball,
the
track
record
and
history
of
a
school
for
preparing
and
placing
players
in
the
NFL
is
an
important
and
powerful
factor
in
the
decision
process.
Put
simply,
if
a
school
has
a
history
of
success
in
preparing
players
for
the
NFL,
(Alabama,
Ohio
State,
Miami,
LSU,
etc.),
the
more
likely
it
is
that
top
high
school
talent
that
sees
the
NFL
as
their
goal
will
choose
those
schools.
And
a
virtuous
circle
is
formed
-­‐
the
school
sends
players
to
the
NFL,
more
top
prospects
that
have
the
NFL
as
a
career
aspiration
take
notice
and
attend
the
school,
they
in
turn
progress
to
the
NFL,
they
help
the
school
have
success
on
the
field,
and
on
and
on.

22. In
college
football
recruiting
the
'stories'
are
easy
to
see.
Players
move
from
the
school
to
the
NFL
in
a
highly
public
manner.
But
inside
organizations,
these
kind
of
success
stories
are
often
harder
to
envision
and
describe
to
candidates
and
prospects.
While
in
the
recruiting
process,
the
organization
typically
talks
to
the
fantastic
opportunities
that
await
candidates
should
they
choose
to
join,
it
can
be
difficult
for
the
candidate
to
appreciate
or
even
accept
these
stories
as
more
than
another
part
of
a
recruiter's
sales
pitch.
In
that
light,
I
think
there
are
three
kinds
of
success
stories
that
HR
or
Recruiting
ought
to
be
able
to
articulate
to
these
top
players,
the
ones
that
have
lots
of
other
options
for
their
next
career
move.
One
-­‐
Come
here,
and
here's
what
incredible
opportunities
are
possible
if
you
decide
to
make
a
long-­‐term
career
here.
Take
a
look
at
Joe
Bloggs,
he
came
in
at
about
your
same
age,
at
a
similar
job,
and
now
he
is
the
head
dude
in
charge
of
XYZ
Division.
In
fact,
I'd
like
you
to
meet
Joe,
let's
set
up
a
lunch
for
you
two
to
talk.
Two
-­‐
Come
here,
and
build
the
skills
that
you
can
take
anywhere
you'd
like
to
go
in
your
career.
Do
you
know,
(insert
name
of
the
most
famous
company
alumni
you
have),
he/she
spent
three
years
here
back
in
the
90s
and
now
they
run
their
own
company.
In
fact,
we
still
work
with
him/her
from
time
to
time
and
I
am
sure
we
can
arrange
a
call
if
you'd
like
to
learn
more
about
how
working
here
really
set
them
up
for
their
future
success.
Three
-­‐
Come
here,
and
build
the
skills
that
you
can
take
anywhere
you'd
like
to
go
in
your
career,
leave
if
you
think
you
need
to,
but
come
know
that
we
will
welcome
you
back
somewhere
down
the
line.
Here's
where
you
tell
the
story
of
a
high-­‐profile
re-­‐bound
hire
that
illustrates
the
possibility
and
flexibility
that
makes
choosing
your
company
more
attractive
to
the
candidate.
The
sports
world
is
certainly
full
of
these
kinds
of
tales,
of
players
that
left
a
team
only
to
return
later
in
their
careers.
Bottom
line,
when
selling
your
opportunity,
whether
it
is
to
a
top
athlete
deciding
on
a
college,
or
a
top
technical
developer,
both
who
have
plenty
of
options,
being
able
to
paint
a
compelling
and
realistic
picture
of
all
the
possible
career
scenarios,
and
how
your
organization
can
best
help
the
candidate
make
the
most
of
them,
offers
your
side
the
best
opportunity
to
land
the
talent
you
need.
And
don't
forget,
being
open
and
accepting
of
what
the
candidate
might
want
to
do
after
he
or
she
leaves
your
organization
might
be
just
as
important
as
what
they
can
or
want
to
do
inside
your
organization.

23. “Should
You
Give
the
Assessment
if
You
Don’t
Care
About
the
Results?”
by
Steve
Boese
Originally
posted
on
April
20,
2012
Last
week
America's
second
most
popular
sporting
spectacle
took
place.
No,
not
the
beginning
of
the
NBA
playoffs,
but
rather
the
annual
National
Football
League
player
draft,
an
incredible
three
days
of
televised
talent
assessment,
evaluation,
and
selection.
The
NFL
draft,
once
a
largely
behind
the
scenes
administrative
event,
has
grown
over
the
years
into
a
multi-­‐day,
multi-­‐media
extravaganza,
with
an
entite
cottage
industry
of
draft
'experts'
and
advisors
seemingly
making
a
really
good
living
not
actually
evaluating
players
for
the
actual
teams,
but
rather
appearing
on
TV
to
inform
and
share
with
fans
and
viewers
their
opinions
of
draft-­‐
eligible
players,
offer
their
speculation
on
which
players
will
be
selected
by
which
teams,
and
comment
more
generally
on
how
well
or
poorly
each
team's
talent
evaluators
did
in
making
their
player
selections.
Making
the
'right'
selections
from
among
the
large
pool
of
eligible
talent,
(almost
all
American
college
football
players
that
have
graduated
from
school,
exhausted
all
of
their
college
eligibility,
or
have
declared
themselves
'eligible'
to
be
selected),
like
talent
selection
in
any
business,
is
challenging,
complex,
and
incredibly
important.
On
a
good
year,
anywhere
from
10-­‐
15%
of
a
team's
total
active
roster
can
be
supplied
via
that
year's
draft.
'Hitting'
or
making
the
right
picks,
like
finding
a
rare
or
overlooked
talented
player
in
later
draft
rounds,
or
avoiding
'missing',
by
bypassing
players
that
later
turn
out
to
have
unsuccessful
playing
careers
often
eventually
means
the
difference
in
overall
organizational
success
or
failure.
All
the
teams
know
how
important
the
draft
process
is,
and
thus,
over
the
years
more
and
more
steps
and
components
have
been
introduced
to
the
pre-­‐draft
player
evaluation
process.
From
intense
study
of
college
game
video,
to
a
battery
of
physical
tests
and
measurements,
and
more
recently,
even
formalized
tests
of
a
potential
player's
cognitive
and
reasoning
capability,
in
the
form
of
what
is
called
the
Wonderlic
test.
The
Wonderlic
consists
of
50
questions
to
be
answered
in
12
minutes,
and
is
meant
to
give
teams
a
general
feeling
for
the
overall
thinking

24. and
reasoning
capability
of
a
player,
as
well
as
provide
a
means
of
comparison
with
all
the
other
potential
players
who
also
take
the
test.
Most
years
the
draft
process
ensues
without
much
mention
of
the
Wonderlic
test
as
a
part
of
the
player
evaluations,
except
only,
and
as
happened
this
year,
when
a
particularly
high-­‐profile
and
anticipated
top
draft
choice
caliber
player
gets
a
really
low
Wonderlic
score.
This
year
Morris
Claiborne
from
LSU,
regarded
as
one
of
the
Top
10
available
players
in
the
draft
reportedly
scored
a
4
(out
of
a
possible
50)
on
the
Wonderlic.
A
score
of
4
is
really,
really
bad,
according
to
ESPN
it
was
the
lowest
reported
score
in
more
that
10
years,
(for
comparison,
an
average
score
is
about
21).
Despite
the
alleged
poor
score,
Claiborne
was
indeed
selected
by
the
Dallas
Cowboys
with
the
6th
overall
selection.
So
apparently
the
disastrous
Wonderlic
score
did
not
impact
Claiborne's
standing
and
attractiveness
as
a
candidate
for
the
NFL.
In
fact,
Dallas
Cowboys
owner
Jerry
Jones
stated
the
test
score
was
'not
an
issue
at
all',
and
Cowboys
coach
Jason
Garrett
remarked,
'We
talk
about
the
test
scores,
but
we
also
talk
about
'What's
his
football
IQ',
also
seemingly
dismissing
the
value
of
the
Wonderlic
as
a
means
to
predict
future
performance
as
an
actual
football
player.
Now
of
course
the
Cowboys
reps
might
be
trying
to
defend
their
selection
of
Claiborne
and
downplaying
the
significance
of
the
Wonderlic
score
is
certainly
in
the
team's
self-­‐interest,
but
the
ESPN
story
linked
above
also
refers
to
Claiborne's
view
that
the
test
was
essentially
meaningless
and
not
at
all
important
in
determining
his
ability
to
actually
play
football
at
the
highest
level.
He
is
quoted
as
saying
-­‐
"I
mean,
I
looked
on
the
test
and
wasn't
nothing
on
the
test
that
came
with
football,
so
I
pretty
much
blew
the
test
off."
Sort
of
an
odd
situation,
the
player,
(candidate),
and
the
team,
(employer),
both
essentially
admitting
that
one
of
the
common
if
not
primary
assessment
tools
given
to
all
players
doesn't
have
anything
to
do
with
the
actual
job,
and
as
soon
as
the
assessment
results
don't
fit
with
what
our
more
traditional
and
time-­‐tested
evaluations
tell
us,
(like
actually
watching
the
candidate
play
football),
they
will
essentially
be
discarded
from
consideration.
Seems
like
a
big
waste
of
everyone's
time.
Now
sure,
you
can
argue
with
me
that
Claiborne,
as
a
top
player
in
this
year's
draft
was
not
ever
going
to
be
impacted
by
his
score,
(good
or
bad),
on
the
Wonderlic,
and
that
the
test
is
really
meant
for
use
as
a
supplementary
measure
or
data
point
for
players
whose
football
talents
are
more
questionable,
and
that
it
can
be
used
to
help
make
decisions
between
closely
related
prospects.
But
the
league
made
Claiborne,
and
other
'top
talent'
take
the
test.
And
I
bet,
if
you
look
closely
at
your
organization's
recruiting
practices
as
well,
you
might
find
similar
examples
of
making
'top
talent'
run
through
hoops
or
perform
silly,
eventually
meaningless,
exercises
because
'that's
just
our
process.'

25. Claiborne
didn't
really
have
an
option
to
decline
the
test,
the
NFL
has
an
effective
monopoly
on
professional
football
in
America.
But
any
'top
talent'
you
might
be
recruiting?
Well
they
likely
have
plenty
of
options.
You
probably
want
to
make
sure
your
process
understands
that.

26. The
Academic
Version
of
"Unemployed
Need
Not
Apply"
by
Matthew
Stollak
Originally
posted
on
September
24,
2012
Check
out
this
recent
ad
for
a
Humanities
position
at
Colorado
State
University.
Focus
on
the
following:
Required
qualifications:
1.
Ph.D.
in
English
or
American
Studies
or
closely
related
area
awarded
between
2010
and
time
of
appointment.
2.
A
promising
record
of
scholarship/research
in
pre-­‐1900
American
literature
and
culture.
3.
Ability
to
teach
a
range
of
subjects
in
American
literature
and
culture
between
1600
and
1900.
A
similar
recent
job
posting
at
Harvard
University
for
an
Assistant
Professor
of
Comparative
Literature,
“Applicants
must
have
received
the
PhD
or
equivalent
degree
in
the
past
three
years
(2009
or
later),
or
show
clear
evidence
of
planned
receipt
of
the
degree
by
the
beginning
of
employment.”
What
do
you
notice?
Go
ahead...take
a
minute....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Well,
items
#2
and
#3
do
not
seem
out
of
the
ordinary
-­‐
these
seem
like
reasonable
requirements
for
the
position.
However,
#1
for
CSU,
as
well
as
the
Harvard
ad,
is
interesting
and
has
ginned
up
a
little
controversy
(note...both
ads
have
changed).
Much
like
we've
seen
in
the
private
sector,
academics
were
not
immune
to
the
vagaries
of
the
economy.
If
you
completed
your
Ph.D.,
and
entered
the
job
market
in
2007,
2008,
or
2009,
you
may
have
had
difficulty
finding
a
tenure
track
academic
position.
Now,
with
ads
such
as
those
filed
above,
we
have
the
academic
equivalent
of
"unemployed
need
not
apply."
Are
there
reasons
to
narrow
the
candidate
search
in
such
a
manner?
It
could
be
economic.
Someone
with
3
or
less
years
of
academic
experience
will
take
longer
to
apply
for
tenure
and
promotion,
and
the
accompanying
bump
in
salary.
With
an
average
salary
increase
of
1.4%
from
2009-­‐2010
to
2010-­‐2011,
earning
tenure
and
promotion
is
often
the
only
way
for
professors
to
see
a
significant
bump
in
compensation.
As
a
result,
delaying
the
promotion
decision
can
positively
affect
the
bottom
line
for
colleges
and
universities.

27.
Another
reason
may
be
that
CSU
or
Harvard
might
already
have
an
internal
candidate,
such
as
a
visiting
assistant
professor,
and
are
trying
to
keep
the
applicant
pool
small.
A
third
reason
might
be
similar
to
the
NBA
draft,
where
a
team
would
rather
take
a
chance
on
a
college
sophomore's
"tremendous
upside
potential,"
than
a
college
senior's
"experience"
that's
good,
but
not
great.
In
this
instance,
a
college
might
prefer
the
freshly
minted
graduate,
than
a
less
malleable
individual
with
a
couple
of
academic
years
under
his
or
her
belt.
However,
the
start
of
such
a
trend
is
worrisome
for
an
already
difficult
job
market,
where
it
might
take
as
many
as
3
years
to
land
a
tenure
track
position.
One
might
have
spent
two
or
three
years
serving
as
an
adjunct
while
trying
to
publish
an
article
or
two.
I
might
be
a
promising
academic
who
might
have
had
an
illness,
or
family
issues
(such
as
caring
for
a
sick
parent),
or
served
in
the
military
that
might
adjust
one's
tenure
clock.
Or,
I
might
have
found
a
tenure
track
position,
and
simply
want
to
relocate
to
another
area
of
the
country.
It
also
affects
the
time
one
spends
in
graduate
school.
Future
academicians
may
delay
the
time
that
they
finish
so
they
will
have
a
more
established
publication
record,
to,
subsequently,
become
more
competitive
in
the
job
market.
When
I
entered
the
academic
job
market
in
1994,
supply
of
labor
exceeded
the
number
of
jobs
available,
and
it
took
6
months
to
find
a
visiting
position.
When
I
finally
found
a
tenure
track
position,
and
built
up
a
number
of
years
of
experience,
I
wanted
to
find
a
job
a
little
closer
to
my
parents.
Such
mobility
may
be
a
thing
of
the
past.

28. Why
I'd
Hire
A
Penn
State
Football
Player
by
Matthew
Stollak
Originally
posted
on
Thursday,
July
26,
2012
If
you
watch
any
college
sports,
I'm
sure
you've
seen
a
variant
of
a
video
where
it
is
stated
that
there
are
more
than
380,000
student-­‐athletes
and
most
of
them
go
pro
in
something
other
than
sports.
They
put
in
time,
energy,
sweat,
tears,
body
and
soul
into
serving
the
sport,
their
coach
and
peers,
and
fans.
Yet,
for
most,
the
end
result
is
not
a
lucrative
sports
contract.
Imagine,
then,
you
are
a
football
player
at
Penn
State
University.
Sanctions
have
just
been
announced
that
effectively
cut
off
many
of
the
benefits
of
the
"job"
you
currently
have
undertaken.
No
bowl
game
at
the
end
of
the
season
to
reward
good
performance...having
to
do
more
with
less
as
scholarships
have
been
taken
away...reputation
of
your
organization
dragged
through
the
mud.
You've
been
"punished"
for
a
very
serious
crime
for
which
you
had
no
knowledge
of
or
involvement.
A
lifeline
has
been
offered...you
have
the
opportunity
to
transfer
to
another
academic
institution
and
get
immediately
playing
time
(instead
of
having
to
sit
out
a
year).
Do
you
take
it?
Soon
after
the
sanctions
were
announced,
approximately
25
players
at
Penn
State
made
a
statement
that
they
are
sticking
with
their
commitment.
Senior
Michael
Mauti
stated,
"“This
program
was
not
built
by
one
man
and
this
program
is
sure
as
hell
not
going
to
get
torn
down
by
one
man."
If
they
are
willing
to
stick
to
their
organization,
despite
the
sullied
brand
and
lack
of
tangible
rewards
(outside
of
their
scholarship
and
education)
for
the
next
few
years,
wouldn't
that
be
an
asset
to
be
cherished
down
the
road
as
you
look
to
fill
a
position
for
which
that
former
football
player
is
qualified?

29. Why
Tom
Izzo
and
Mark
Hollis
Get
It
by
Matthew
Stollak
Originally
posted
on
Wednesday,
June
27,
2012
Right
around
this
time,
the
Top
50
Best
Small
&
Medium
Companies
to
Work
for
in
America
are
announced.
I'm
beginning
to
think
that
playing
basketball
for
Michigan
State
University
should
belong
to
this
list.
It
was
announced
that
the
Spartans
will
open
up
the
2012-­‐2013
Men's
NCAA
College
Basketball
Season
for
the
second
straight
year
on
Nov.
9
at
Ramstein
Air
Base
in
Germany
against
UConn—
an
event
to
be
played
in
front
of
troops
and
televised
by
ESPN.
According
to
Mark
Hollis,
Athletic
Director
for
Michigan
State:
“Once
again,
we
are
excited
about
participating
in
an
event
that
pays
tribute
and
respect
to
the
men
and
women
that
serve
in
our
nation’s
armed
forces.
With
that
focus
in
mind,
all
other
challenges
and
obstacles
in
participating
in
an
event
of
this
significance
are
secondary.
Pending
final
approval
by
the
Department
of
Defense
and
with
the
collaboration
of
ESPN,
we
look
forward
to
participating
in
an
NCAA
men’s
basketball
regular-­‐season
game
against
Connecticut
at
Ramstein
AirBase
in
Germany
on
November
9,
2012.
“Coach
Izzo
has
a
talent
for
recognizing
and
bringing
to
Michigan
State
University
student-­‐athletes
that
want
to
be
the
best
on
the
court
while
developing
themselves
as
young
men.
All
of
us
at
Michigan
State
believe
in
providing
our
student-­‐athletes
with
championship
opportunities
and
amazing
cultural
experiences.
The
student-­‐athletes
on
our
men’s
basketball
team
have
had
an
opportunity
to
play
the
game
they
love
in
NCAA
Final
Fours,
for
Big
Ten
titles
and
aboard
a
USN
Aircraft
Carrier
in
front
of
the
President
of
the
United
States
of
America.
Coach
Tom
Izzo
added:
“This
is
another
amazing
opportunity
for
Spartan
basketball
and
Michigan
State
University.
I’m
thankful
that
ESPN
reached
out
to
us
to
be
a
part
of
this
great
event.
Being
a
part
in
the
first
college
basketball
game
to
be
played
on
a
military
base
overseas
is
truly
an
honor.”
“Playing
in
the
Carrier
Classic
on
the
USS
Carl
Vinson
last
season
provided
memories
that
will
last
a
lifetime,
as
the
historic
event
was
so
much
more
than
just
a
basketball
game.
The
opportunity
to
honor
the
great
men
and
women
of
the
US
Armed
Forces
was
a
humbling
experience,
as
we
felt
that
we
got
so
much
more
in
return
than
we
gave.
To
now
have
the
opportunity
to
take
our
game
overseas
to
the
servicemen
and
women
serving
to
protect
us
is
an
awesome
experience.
I’m
reminded
of
my
trips
to
the
US
bases
in
Kuwait,
and
what
a
life-­‐changing
experience
that
was
for
me.
Everyone

30. associated
with
the
Michigan
State
basketball
program
is
excited
for
this
unique
opportunity.”
So,
you’re
Senior
Derrick
Nix.
In
the
past
three
years,
you've:
• Played
three
straight
years
in
the
NCAA
tournament
• Won
two
Big
Ten
Titles
• Played
in
the
Final
Four
• Be
featured
regularly
in
nationally
televised
games
• Played
on
an
aircraft
carrier.
Now,
you
get
to
experience
something
no
other
college
basketball
player
has
done
-­‐
play
on
a
military
base
overseas.
Add
to
the
fact
that
every
four-­‐year
MSU
basketball
player
has
made
the
Final
Four
under
Tom
Izzo's
leadership,
you
have
a
truly
compelling
value
proposition
to
sell
to
recruits.
This
is
why
Tom
Izzo
and
Mark
Hollis
get
it.
They're
offering
something
unmatched
at
other
organizations.
A
potential
recruit
may
soon
find
themselves
playing
at
the
site
of
the
first
Olympic
Games,
or,
who
knows....the
International
Space
Station.
What
compelling
value
proposition
to
recruits
are
you
making
for
your
organization?

31. “Some
Hiring
Managers
Rate
the
Attractiveness
of
Your
Spouse…”
by
Kris
Dunn
Originally
posted
on
June
4,
2012
As
a
candidate,
you
know
that
people
considering
you
for
employment
judge
you
on
everything,
right?
Clothes.
Your
Car.
How
you
talk.
Whether
your
spouse
is
smoking
hot.
Hold
up,
what
was
that
last
one?
Your
spouse
-­‐
he
or
she
needs
to
be
smoking
hot
-­‐
you
didn't
get
the
memo?
I
made
it
gender
neutral
becuase
I'm
a
long
term
HR
guy
and
that's
how
I
roll.
But
let's
face
it,
men
are
pigs.
So
it
stands
to
reason
that
men,
not
women,
would
be
the
ones
to
judge
the
ultimate
accessory
held
by
a
candidate
-­‐
the
wife.
Don't
believe
me?
Here's
the
rundown
from
Coachingsearch.com
(hat
tip
to
a
blogging
friend
who
doesn't
want
his
name
on
this),
which
covers
comments
made
by
the
Vanderbilt
head
football
coach
on
the
topic:
"Breaking:
Do
not
apply
for
a
job
on
James
Franklin's
staff
if
your
wife
is
not
a
smoke
show.
While
in
Destin
on
Wednesday
afternoon,
Vanderbilt
head
coach
James
Franklin
told
Clay
Travis
on
104.5
The
Zone
that
he
evaluates
the
appearance
of
coaches'
wives
during
the
interview
process.
Franklin,
in
a
relaxed
mood
near
the
beach,
explained,
"I've
been
saying
it
for
a
long
time,
I
will
not
hire
an
assistant
until
I
see
his
wife.
If
she
looks
the
part
and
she's
a
D1

32. recruit,
then
you
got
a
chance
to
get
hired.
That's
part
of
the
deal.
There's
a
very
strong
correlation
between
having
the
confidence,
going
up
and
talking
to
a
women
(sic),
and
being
quick
on
your
feet
and
having
some
personality
and
confidence
and
being
articulate
and
confident,
than
it
is
walking
into
a
high
school
and
recruiting
a
kid
and
selling
him."
Does
this
apply
to
more
than
football?
Probably.
The
general
rule
of
thumb
is
that
the
spouse
starts
becoming
a
factor
once
you
start
getting
into
leadership
positions,
especially
with
smaller
companies
where
great
sacrifices
might
be
required
on
the
part
of
families
-­‐
that's
when
the
hiring
executive
wants
to
meet
Mrs.
Candidate,
more
often
than
not
to
guage
whether
she'll
be
supportive
of
the
sacrifices
required,
and
also
to
sell
her
in
to
the
promise
of
the
role,
etc.
So
it
stands
to
reason
that
a
high
attractiveness
level
might
be
a
plus
in
that
situation,
if
not
a
requirement
via
the
progressive
views
of
James
Franklin.
Women
-­‐
does
this
ever
hold
true
for
the
male
spouse
of
a
key
female
candidate?
That
would
explain
my
wife's
amazing
career
success
before
she
opted
out
of
the
game.
I'm
just
sayin...

33. “Hiring
Former
Athletes
as
a
Recruiting
Strategy
–
Genius
of
a
Cop-­‐Out?”
by
Kris
Dunn
Originally
posted
on
May
8,
2012
Was
with
an
SVP
of
a
pretty
cool
company
a
couple
of
months
back
and
he
lamented
what
he
considers
to
be
a
broken
recruiting
strategy
–
hiring
former
jocks
for
sales
positions.
He
considered
the
approach
broken
due
to
the
track
record
of
the
“usual
suspects”
his
company
hired
for
AE
spots
–
former
jocks
–
but
outlined
that
the
primary
reason
for
the
systematic
failure
of
the
AEs
in
question
was
their
intellectual
capacity
to
pull
off
a
consultative-­‐style
sale.
In
other
words
–
they
were
dumb
jocks.
Stoopid,
even.
He
didn’t
feel
they
had
the
intellectual
capacity
or
agile
mental
capacity
to
do
the
consultative
style
sale
–
when
they
got
stuck,
they
just
pushed
harder
rather
than
adapting
mentally
to
the
game.
So
it
begs
the
question
–
does
hiring
former
athletes
work
as
a
recruiting
strategy?
Or
is
hiring
jocks
a
sucker’s
play
if
you’re
looking
for
any
kind
of
depth
beyond
some
backslapping
and
war
stories
about
the
“glory
days”?
Answer:
It
depends.
The
first
rule
of
hiring
jocks
is
as
follows:
If
you
live
in
a
limited
geographical
area
where
sports
affiliation
runs
high
and
the
position
you’re
hiring
for
is
focused
on
meeting
the
public
and
opening
doors,
the
jock
hire
with
ties/a
career
at
the
local
Division
I
might
make
a
lot
of
sense.
You
call
it
sales.
I
call
it
PR.
If
I’m
selling
in
Birmingham
these
days,
having
a
former
player
for
the
Crimson
Tide
(University
of
Alabama)
making
calls
and
setting
up
appointments
might
make
a
lot
of
sense.
They
need
to
have
the
aptitude
and
desire
to
pick
up
the
phone,
but
it’s
a
good
start.
And
I’d
need
to
get
ready
to
support
them
in
the
sales
process
in
a
big
way
if
that’s
what
I
was
going
for.
After
that,
the
rules
get
pretty
dicey.
If
you’re
not
hiring
for
name
recognition
(school
or
individual),
hiring
a
jock
only
provides
benefits
if
the
following
things
are
at
play
as
a
result
of
their
development
as
an
athlete:
1. Your
interview
shows
they
compete
better
than
the
average
candidate
due
to
the
background
as
a
jock.
2. They
achieved
academically
and
the
fact
that
they
did
it
while
packing
in
a
full-­‐time
job
in
a
sport
means
they’re
driven,
organized
and
well
–
just
pretty
damn
good.

34. 3. They’re
not
wallflowers
about
being
put
in
tough
situations
where
outcomes
are
in
question
(related
to
the
compete
angle
in
#1).
That’s
about
it
–
if
you
can
find
a
jock
you
like
and
the
interview
and
background
suggests
these
things
are
at
play
as
+1′s
and
they
stack
up
well
against
the
non-­‐jocks,
I
think
it’s
a
good
call
to
make
the
jock
hire.
Here’s
when
you
don’t
hire
the
jock:
If
they’re
a
Ken/Barbie
and
the
job
doesn’t
call
for
a
Ken/Barbie
or
the
name
recognition
of
the
local
university
mentioned
in
the
first
rule.
Also,
I’m
a
big
believer
of
what
I’ll
call
the
average
jock
rule.
It
goes
a
little
something
like
this:
1. If
the
jock
in
question
wasn’t
that
good,
but
they
had
to
work
their
#$$
off
in
order
to
compete
and
survive
in
the
sport
in
question,
they’re
not
a
Ken/Barbie,
and
they
have
the
three
attributes
I’ve
outlined
above
that
can
make
a
jock
hire
special,
you
should
hire
them.
2. Division
2
and
Division
3
athletics
are
full
of
these
types
of
kids
–
not
elite,
but
grinders
who
love
to
play.
And
compete.
And
are
capable
of
the
consultative
sale.
3.
Hiring
jocks
from
non-­‐mainstream
sports
who
fit
all
the
above
criteria
is
another
great
route.
Everyone
knows
about
Division
1
football
and
hoops,
but
who
cares
about
wrestling?
They
still
poured
everything
they
had
into
it
and
had
some
success
and
achieved
academically?
Interesting
hire.
I’m
not
telling
you
to
hire
the
dumb
jock.
I’m
telling
you
that
hiring
a
smart/driven
jock
that
you’d
never
go
see
play
is
an
interesting
way
to
go.
They
had
more
going
on
than
the
average
kid.
Just
like
the
kid
who
worked
at
Walgreens
all
the
way
through
school
or
started
their
own
business
in
the
dorm.

35. “How
Not
to
Hire
a
D1
Football
Coach
in
the
Big
Ten”
by
Tim
Sackett
Originally
posted
on
December
10,
2012
For
those
College
Football
fans,
last
week
was
a
bit
crazy
on
the
college
football
coaching
carousel!
The
one
that
really
caught
my
eye
was
Bret
Bielema,
the
University
of
Wisconsin
coach,
leaving
to
go
to
the
University
of
Arkansas
in
the
SEC.
First
off,
I
hate
the
University
of
Wisconsin.
Second
off,
I
hate
Bret
Bielema.
Being
a
Michigan
State
University
fan/donor
–
the
University
of
Wisconsin
has
been
a
rather
large
pain
in
our
backside
the
past
few
years!
So,
it’s
with
respect
(and
hatred)
that
I
bid
the
rather
large
jackass,
Bret
Bielema,
adieu.
Here’s
what
is
really
great
about
this
whole
thing,
though
–
the
head
coaching
job
at
the
University
of
Wisconsin
(like
most
state
colleges)
is
a
state
job
–
and
with
most
‘government’
jobs
they
have
processes
they
need
to
follow
when
hiring.
No.
Matter.
What.
Here’s
the
posting
–
from
the
University
of
Wisconsin
career
site!
It’s
awesomely
bad
HR!
Want
the
job?
Here’s
what
UW
is
looking
for
in
their
next
coach:
-­‐
Bachelor’s
degree
required
(I
mean
this
isn’t
Arkansas!)
-­‐
Minimum
of
5
years
of
successful
collegiate
football
coaching
experience,preferred.
(way
to
shoot
for
the
moon!)
-­‐
Other
qualifications
include
the
ability
to
work
cooperatively
with
diverse
groups
and
administrators,
faculty,
staff
and
students.
The
successful
applicant
must
be
able
develop
and
implement
innovative
approaches
and
solutions;
work
well
independently
and
in
teams;
and
be
flexible
in
accepting
new
responsibilities.
(Um,
what!?)

36. -­‐
Anticipated
start
date:
December
24,
2012
(Merry
F’ing
Christmas
we
need
recruits
–
start
calling!)
I
really
would
love
to
sit
down
with
the
President
and
Athletic
Director
of
the
University
of
Wisconsin
and
find
out
if
they
‘truly’
feel
these
are
the
job
requirements
for
their
Head
Football
Coach
at
UW!
And,
oh
brother,
this
is
a
BIG
and,
is
this
current
‘recruiting’
process
meeting
their
needs!!!
I
can
only
assume
I
already
know
this
answer.
Want
to
apply:
Unless
another
application
procedure
has
been
specified
above,
please
send
resume
and
cover
letter
referring
to
Position
Vacancy
Listing
#75429
to:
Holly
Weber
1440
Monroe
St.
Kellner
Hall
Madison,
WI
I’m
sure
Holly
is
a
solid
Talent
Acquisition
Pro
and
will
do
a
proper
job
screening
you
before
you
meet
with
the
Athletic
Director.
Is
it
just
me,
or
do
you
feel
they
might
end
up
using
a
head
hunting
firm
on
this
hire?!
To
me,
this
is
the
exact
reason
HR/Recruiting
get
zero
respect.
This
job
should
not
be
posted
on
the
career
site
next
to
the
janitor
opening.
This
hire
will
have
millions
of
dollar
impact
to
the
funding
of
this
school
–
stop
treating
it
like
it’s
like
every
other
hire
–
it’s
not
–
and
it
makes
you
look
like
you
have
no
idea
what
you’re
doing.

37. CHAPTER
3
Training
and
Development