I watched from the sidelines this year (2012) with anticipation on what the Red Sox would do with manager Bobby Valentine, and not surprisingly they fired him the day after the season ended. Was this a good business move? I see this as a very interesting question.
I agree that the Red Sox made the right decision to fire Bobby Valentine. It comes down to one issue; he didn’t get the job done. He didn’t perform to the standards that were expected of him, nor did he have the respect of his team players or the management that hired him earlier in the year. In baseball, as in any business, the team can terminate the employment of a contractor with a contract, provided that they pay the remaining time in the contract if that person doesn’t get another job. The details of each contract are negotiated between the parties, but this is generally the idea.
As for the timing, it was the best time. Red Sox general manager Ben Cherrington was quoted as saying that his mistake in 2012 was that he didn’t hire the manager quick enough after the 2011 season was over.
So how does this relate to your business or even your website?? Great question. First, as the manager or owner, your decisions must be quick and resolute. If they are not, your team and your customers will see through that decision, you can and will lose credibility, and your decision making capability will be undermined. Second, by making the decision quickly, it removes doubt with regard to business direction, and instills confidence in your team members that the company is moving forward with purpose and direction.
With regard to your website, if you hesitate to make changes on your site or if you are unsure of what changes you want to make, your competition’s website may quickly have a leg up on you and they may rank better on the search engines because of your poorly timed decisions.
Moral of the story? Assess the situation, make swift, clear, and concise decisions, and communicate them quickly.
Result? Confidence from employees and clients and possible increased search engine rankings.
Bottom line – Take action. You’ll hear much more about that from me in the future, but for now just remember, Take Action!