"How The Mighty Fall"

[Del Tremens]

Some business/management writer has just written a book prompted by General Motors, Fannie Mae, etc., called "How The Mighty Fall."  It outlines five stages leading to a company's downfall.  Any of this sound familiar (emphases added)?

Stage 1 is hubris born of success. The company's people become arrogant, regarding success as virtually an entitlement.

Stage 2 is the undisciplined pursuit of more -- more scale, more growth, more acclaim. Companies stray from the disciplined creativity that led them to greatness in the first place [Snyder], making undisciplined leaps [Prince] into areas where they cannot be great or growing faster than they can achieve with excellence, or both.

Stage 3 is denial of risk and peril. Leaders of the company discount negative data [ku], amplify positive data [Texas] and put a positive spin on ambiguous data. Those in power start to blame external factors for setbacks rather than accept responsibility.  [Assistant coaches runs.  3 a.m. runs.]

Stage 4 is grasping for salvation. Common "saviors" include a charismatic visionary leader [Prince], a bold [& Daring!] but untested strategy, a radical transformation, a "game changing" acquisition or any number of other silver-bullet solutions.  [All JuCo, all the time!]

Stage 5 is capitulation to irrelevance or death. Accumulative setbacks and expensive false starts erode financial strength and individual spirits to such an extent that leaders abandon all hope of building a great future. In some cases their leaders just sell out. [IPP, LLC!] In other cases the institution atrophies to utter insignificance.  [KSU football 2008.]

 

[The1BigWillie]

Stage 1 is hubris born of success. The company's people become arrogant, regarding success as virtually an entitlement.

Stage 2 is the undisciplined pursuit of more -- more scale, more growth, more acclaim. Companies stray from the disciplined creativity that led them to greatness in the first place [Stoops x2, Venables, Leavitt, Mangino], making undisciplined leaps [Elliot, Miller, Smith, Clements] into areas where they cannot be great or growing faster than they can achieve with excellence, or both.

Stage 3 is denial of risk and peril. Leaders of the company discount negative data [Fresno State, Iowa State], amplify positive data [ku, Missouri, Nubb] and put a positive spin on ambiguous data.[Recruiting Rankings] Those in power start to blame external factors for setbacks rather than accept responsibility.  [Can't recruit to Manhattan.]

Stage 4 is grasping for salvation. Common "saviors" include a charismatic visionary leader [Wefald], a bold [and Daring] but untested strategy, a radical transformation, a "game changing" acquisition or any number of other silver-bullet solutions.  [Hire Prince]

Stage 5 is capitulation to irrelevance or death. Accumulative setbacks and expensive false starts erode financial strength and individual spirits to such an extent that leaders abandon all hope of building a great future[Wefald, Krause, etc...]. In some cases their leaders just sell out. [Re-hire Snyder] In other cases the institution atrophies to utter insignificance.  [KSU football 2009, 10, 11, etc...]

Your post was a trainwreck.  It's fixed now.  

[catdude33]

Accumulative setbacks and expensive false starts [Alesana]

[Del Tremens]

Stage 1 is hubris born of success. The company's people become arrogant, regarding success as virtually an entitlement.

Stage 2 is the undisciplined pursuit of more -- more scale, more growth, more acclaim. Companies stray from the disciplined creativity that led them to greatness in the first place [Stoops x2, Venables, Leavitt, Mangino], making undisciplined leaps [Elliot, Miller, Smith, Clements] into areas where they cannot be great or growing faster than they can achieve with excellence, or both.

Stage 3 is denial of risk and peril. Leaders of the company discount negative data [Fresno State, Iowa State], amplify positive data [ku, Missouri, Nubb] and put a positive spin on ambiguous data.[Recruiting Rankings] Those in power start to blame external factors for setbacks rather than accept responsibility.  [Can't recruit to Manhattan.]

Stage 4 is grasping for salvation. Common "saviors" include a charismatic visionary leader [Wefald], a bold [and Daring] but untested strategy, a radical transformation, a "game changing" acquisition or any number of other silver-bullet solutions.  [Hire Prince]

Stage 5 is capitulation to irrelevance or death. Accumulative setbacks and expensive false starts erode financial strength and individual spirits to such an extent that leaders abandon all hope of building a great future[Wefald, Krause, etc...]. In some cases their leaders just sell out. [Re-hire Snyder] In other cases the institution atrophies to utter insignificance.  [KSU football 2009, 10, 11, etc...]

Your post was a trainwreck.  It's fixed now.  

Oh, by no means did I think I'd covered every possibility...which is exactly the point.  K-State = textbook example?

[The1BigWillie]

Stage 1 is hubris born of success. The company's people become arrogant, regarding success as virtually an entitlement.

Stage 2 is the undisciplined pursuit of more -- more scale, more growth, more acclaim. Companies stray from the disciplined creativity that led them to greatness in the first place [Stoops x2, Venables, Leavitt, Mangino], making undisciplined leaps [Elliot, Miller, Smith, Clements] into areas where they cannot be great or growing faster than they can achieve with excellence, or both.

Stage 3 is denial of risk and peril. Leaders of the company discount negative data [Fresno State, Iowa State], amplify positive data [ku, Missouri, Nubb] and put a positive spin on ambiguous data.[Recruiting Rankings] Those in power start to blame external factors for setbacks rather than accept responsibility.  [Can't recruit to Manhattan.]

Stage 4 is grasping for salvation. Common "saviors" include a charismatic visionary leader [Wefald], a bold [and Daring] but untested strategy, a radical transformation, a "game changing" acquisition or any number of other silver-bullet solutions.  [Hire Prince]

Stage 5 is capitulation to irrelevance or death. Accumulative setbacks and expensive false starts erode financial strength and individual spirits to such an extent that leaders abandon all hope of building a great future[Wefald, Krause, etc...]. In some cases their leaders just sell out. [Re-hire Snyder] In other cases the institution atrophies to utter insignificance.  [KSU football 2009, 10, 11, etc...]

Your post was a trainwreck.  It's fixed now.  

Oh, by no means did I think I'd covered every possibility...which is exactly the point.  K-State = textbook example?

Gotcha... Couldn't agree more.

[Perry]

Is there a sequel called "How the Might Get Back up"? If not, then Bill should write it 

[pissclams]

Some business/management writer has just written a book prompted by General Motors, Fannie Mae, etc., called "How The Mighty Fall."  It outlines five stages leading to a company's downfall.  Any of this sound familiar (emphases added)?

Stage 1 is hubris born of success. The company's people become arrogant, regarding success as virtually an entitlement.

Stage 2 is the undisciplined pursuit of more -- more scale, more growth, more acclaim. Companies stray from the disciplined creativity that led them to greatness in the first place [Snyder], making undisciplined leaps [Prince] into areas where they cannot be great or growing faster than they can achieve with excellence, or both.

Stage 3 is denial of risk and peril. Leaders of the company discount negative data [ku], amplify positive data [Texas] and put a positive spin on ambiguous data. Those in power start to blame external factors for setbacks rather than accept responsibility.  [Assistant coaches runs.  3 a.m. runs.]

Stage 4 is grasping for salvation. Common "saviors" include a charismatic visionary leader [Prince], a bold [& Daring!] but untested strategy, a radical transformation, a "game changing" acquisition or any number of other silver-bullet solutions.  [All JuCo, all the time!]

Stage 5 is capitulation to irrelevance or death. Accumulative setbacks and expensive false starts erode financial strength and individual spirits to such an extent that leaders abandon all hope of building a great future. In some cases their leaders just sell out. [IPP, LLC!] In other cases the institution atrophies to utter insignificance.  [KSU football 2008.]

 

great post tremens.  btw, i drank too much of you last weekend.   

[sonofdaxjones]

Weefer Junta and their 23 year athletic/quasi athletic history at K-State:

Positives:  Mostly decent to good football, b-ball good at beginning and resurgence at end, volleyball and chick hoops pretty decent. 

Now the bads (in no certain order):

1.  1 Men's conference title.

2.  16 of 23 years NOT in the NCAA tourney and only 5 NCAA tourney wins.

3.  Most embarrassing press conference in collegiate sports history . . . virtually overrunning the previous most embarrassing press conference in collegiate sports history, the "Crushed Dove" in Al Bohl's driveway.

4.  Rollover Contract to Tom Asbury.

5.  The idiocy but somehow the blessing of one more year of Wooly.

6.  Putting the baseball team on the strangest 2 year odyssey in D1 college sports history.   A journey that likely couldn't be duplicated without conjuring up images of the "Grapes of Wrath".   

7.  Bob Krause and Colbert Hills financing.

8.  Bob Krause as AD (1000's mea culpas from me).

9.  It's Patterson!!

10. It's Snyder!!

11.  Milt Richards

12.  Secret Prince Contract.

13.  The seemingly teflon cult of Deb Patterson and the sexually conflicted strangeness of being.

14.  Consulting money to Bob Krause.

15.  Bob Krause Buy Out.

16.  Tim Weiser Buy Out

Feel free to add as you see fit.

[KSUME]

17. The Great Hotdog Fiasco.

[sonofdaxjones]

17. The Great Hotdog Fiasco.

Gawd . . . how'd I forget that??

[The1BigWillie]

17. The Great Hotdog Fiasco.

Gawd . . . how'd I forget that??

18.  Refusing donations from donor and excommunicating said donor. 

[sonofdaxjones]

17. The Great Hotdog Fiasco.

Gawd . . . how'd I forget that??

18.  Refusing donations from donor and excommunicating said donor. 

I am still in counseling.

[KSUME]

17. The Great Hotdog Fiasco.

Gawd . . . how'd I forget that??

You were probably caught up in the diatribe against BK, and were too distracted to consider Weiser's failures in full.

As it was once stated in an issue of Superman, "The sins of the father (TW) must be visited upon the son (BK) one thousand fold." Seems to be about right, financially.