By JOHN INGOLDSBY
Engagement Insider
PHILADELPHIA, MA June 3, 2014 – The NFL is a land of opportunity with an ever-evolving performance-based landscape creating chances for coaches and executives to climb the corporate ladder.
To maximize the prospect of current league and team employees landing these prized openings when they occur, the annual Career Development Symposium was held over the weekend with approximately 70 assistant coaches and front office personnel present at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
The popularity of the program was no surprise since seven attendees from last year’s event obtained new jobs, including three head coaches and four general managers, one of whom told his story to the group.
“On the opening night of the program, we actually had Doug Whaley speak to the participants, and he talked directly as to what his experience was last year, and the fact that literally within a matter of weeks he had the opportunity to interview for the Buffalo Bills General Manager position,” reported NFL Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Robert Gulliver. “He was able to leverage some of the insights that he had gotten from the program, which helped him to better represent his candidacy and ultimately played a role in his successfully being chosen as the next GM of the Bills.”
Gulliver, who along with NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent directed the Symposium, added that the diverse speakers provided all the various perspectives that aspiring candidates are likely to encounter.
“Based on all the feedback I received, the program was a very big success, and what made it so was having the involvement, engagement and participation of owners, current and former head coaches and general managers, guest consultant speakers, and Wharton faculty members. We pulled together quite an impressive program and agenda, and I believe we gave them a practical and pragmatic insight that will ultimately help them get head coach and general manager positions.”
In addition to overseeing the event with Vincent, Gulliver also participated on a panel that took on the timely topic of “Respect at Work.”
“It was a very important panel, and what was incredibly significant in that discussion was having fellow panelist and Coach Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs) share his perspective as a head coach, and also pull in commentary from Coach Ron Rivera (Carolina Panthers), who was not on the panel, but was in the audience. They both spoke to the importance of head coaches being directly involved in shaping and forming the culture of their locker room.”
This all-important culture is a high-priority issue these days, and change is clearly coming according to Gulliver.
“Culture change is an ongoing process, but it really starts with some dialogue, so the important thing is we are now talking about the culture of the National Football League, the locker room, and our values as an organization, so we started some very important dialogue which is going to continue into the season and beyond.”
In addition to culture and respect, other panels addressed tackled timely topics as well, including two moderated by Vincent entitled “Building Relationships & Managing Expectations” and “Managing and Coaching Today’s Players.”
“We welcome every opportunity to highlight the importance of communications at every level with each audience, and these panels along with all the others did just that,” observed Vincent. “We were very impressed with this year’s group, and anticipate successful outcomes will follow like they did after last year’s Symposium.”
Those outcomes may be largely dependent on those who have the final say, so it was helpful for attendees to start off the program hearing straight from the top, with a panel entitled “Expectations of Ownership,” that Gulliver stressed was high-impact.
“Anytime you can involve and engage NFL owners is always a highlight, so we were able to kick off the program with a panel that included Stephen Ross (Miami Dolphins) and Jim Haslam (Cleveland Browns). So for both of them to spend their time sharing candid insights with participants about what owners’ expectations are during the hiring process was incredibly impactful, and it was a great way to start the program.”