Why Do So Many Fans Blame Kohl for Larry Harris' Failure?
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:27 am
I have not been critical of Larry Harris to this point. His moves have had some logic behind them. I did not agree with every move, but as fan I have given him the benefit of the doubt.
But the bottom line is that his work has been a failure. And increasingly, that failure is laid at the doorstep of Herb Kohl.
That does not make sense to me.
Kohl is the owner. He has the right to inject himself into major decisions. This is not new in sports, nor is it proven to be a hindrance, as demonstrated by championships won by Geo. Steinbrenner and Jerry Jones.
The implication is that Kohl and his cadre of attorneys have hamstrung Harris so badly that LH has been ineffective.
Kohl is not a complete fool. If Harris had a well thought out rationale for each move, all that he had to do was communicate that to Kohl. Convince him of the reasons that Harris had for each move. Show him how those moves made sense. Be persuasive. Be convincing. That is how you win the confidence of an owner. That is how you get more respect. More freedom. It is in Kohl's best interest to have a winner. Show him how your ideas produce a winner. That is part of the job of a GM.
It is absurd for a GM to require complete and utter authority on all decisions to be effective. If Harris couldn't sell his ideas to Kohl, maybe Harris' ideas were not that hot. Maybe Harris' ideas were presented in a way that failed to instill confidence.
Don't blame me if I don't approve of your suggestion - all that you have to do is convince me! If you don't convince me, that's not my fault! Take some responsibility for your failure to convince me! Losers blame others. And let others take the blame for failure.
I don't know Harris or the Bucks front office, but it sounds to me that Harris is not taking responsibility for the decisions coming out of his office. Many here on Realgm "attest" to Kohl's meddling. How do they know that - apparently because of comments coming from the Bucks front office. The ONLY person who truly knows if Kohl is preventing Bucks success is Larry Harris. If the word is out that Kohl is to blame, then Larry Harris must be hearing that. He must be letting others repeat it. Letting others promulgate the story that Kohl is really to blame.
If Harris really believes that Kohl is to blame, he should be ashamed. All he has to do to succeed is to convince his boss of the proper course of action - which is just part of doing his job.
If Harris does not believe that Kohl is to blame, he should be ashamed. He should make sure that his front office and other insiders know that Kohl is not to blame - again, part of doing his job.
The Bucks are a mess. Leadership starts at the top, but does not end there. Every employee has a responsibility to sell their ideas to those above them. Getting approval for something is hollow if the boss has not been sold on the idea. In the long run, it is not enough to be right. One has to be able to show others why they are right. In that, Harris appears to have failed. That failure seems to be extending throughout the organization. That failure might explain how the Bucks continue to lose regardless of the coach or the talent level.
It is not Kohl's job to be a yes man. To approve any move regardless of the rationale behind it. It is Kohl's job to question and probe. If his question and probing is extreme, the GM has to be extreme in his persuasion.
I hope that the Bucks next GM can make a series of smart moves that lead to Bucks success. I hope that he can persuade Herb Kohl of the wisdom of making those moves. Let's not deny that this was Larry Harris' job and that he failed to do it.
oLd sKool
But the bottom line is that his work has been a failure. And increasingly, that failure is laid at the doorstep of Herb Kohl.
That does not make sense to me.
Kohl is the owner. He has the right to inject himself into major decisions. This is not new in sports, nor is it proven to be a hindrance, as demonstrated by championships won by Geo. Steinbrenner and Jerry Jones.
The implication is that Kohl and his cadre of attorneys have hamstrung Harris so badly that LH has been ineffective.
Kohl is not a complete fool. If Harris had a well thought out rationale for each move, all that he had to do was communicate that to Kohl. Convince him of the reasons that Harris had for each move. Show him how those moves made sense. Be persuasive. Be convincing. That is how you win the confidence of an owner. That is how you get more respect. More freedom. It is in Kohl's best interest to have a winner. Show him how your ideas produce a winner. That is part of the job of a GM.
It is absurd for a GM to require complete and utter authority on all decisions to be effective. If Harris couldn't sell his ideas to Kohl, maybe Harris' ideas were not that hot. Maybe Harris' ideas were presented in a way that failed to instill confidence.
Don't blame me if I don't approve of your suggestion - all that you have to do is convince me! If you don't convince me, that's not my fault! Take some responsibility for your failure to convince me! Losers blame others. And let others take the blame for failure.
I don't know Harris or the Bucks front office, but it sounds to me that Harris is not taking responsibility for the decisions coming out of his office. Many here on Realgm "attest" to Kohl's meddling. How do they know that - apparently because of comments coming from the Bucks front office. The ONLY person who truly knows if Kohl is preventing Bucks success is Larry Harris. If the word is out that Kohl is to blame, then Larry Harris must be hearing that. He must be letting others repeat it. Letting others promulgate the story that Kohl is really to blame.
If Harris really believes that Kohl is to blame, he should be ashamed. All he has to do to succeed is to convince his boss of the proper course of action - which is just part of doing his job.
If Harris does not believe that Kohl is to blame, he should be ashamed. He should make sure that his front office and other insiders know that Kohl is not to blame - again, part of doing his job.
The Bucks are a mess. Leadership starts at the top, but does not end there. Every employee has a responsibility to sell their ideas to those above them. Getting approval for something is hollow if the boss has not been sold on the idea. In the long run, it is not enough to be right. One has to be able to show others why they are right. In that, Harris appears to have failed. That failure seems to be extending throughout the organization. That failure might explain how the Bucks continue to lose regardless of the coach or the talent level.
It is not Kohl's job to be a yes man. To approve any move regardless of the rationale behind it. It is Kohl's job to question and probe. If his question and probing is extreme, the GM has to be extreme in his persuasion.
I hope that the Bucks next GM can make a series of smart moves that lead to Bucks success. I hope that he can persuade Herb Kohl of the wisdom of making those moves. Let's not deny that this was Larry Harris' job and that he failed to do it.
oLd sKool
I don't know what you mean by that.