The Deflategate Drama Offers a Few Lessons in Leadership

The Deflategate Drama Offers a Few Lessons in LeadershipThe Deflategate Drama Offers a Few Lessons in LeadershipThe Deflategate Drama Offers a Few Lessons in Leadership RossheimThe NFL couldnt havescrewed this up more if it had tried. So says lawyer John Snyder of the controversy over the New England Patriots alleged tampering with game balls in the 2014 American Football Conference championship game.A Federal judge overturned Tom Bradys 4-game suspension(appeal pending) on September 3rd. As the Patriots 2015 seasonbeginswiththeir star-quarterback back in play, here is some Monday morning quarterbacking for the benefit of employers looking to avoid such deflating developments.Repeat after me Discipline is notlage an improv act. When it comes to accusations of wrongdoing whether they involve a grace-under-press superstar or locker-room employeeswho might have under-pressured a dozen footballs its most unwise to make up a disciplinary procedure as you go along. The Patriots have sinc e asked the NFL toreinstate said Deflategate employees.To have an organization as big as the NFL hold a kangaroo court is just stunning, says Snyder, a principal with the law firm John H. Snyder PLLC in New York City. Goodell needs to stop being personally involved in discipline.Lesson for your company Stick with a disciplinary process that avoids even the appearance of conflict of interest or the exchange of favors.Dont take disciplinary actions that leave your organization wide open to challenge.Whether youre a pro league with a near monopoly on your sport or an internet player that dominates a given market, theres a dangerous temptation to play by your own rules.One key lesson is not to withhold information if theres an arbitration proceeding, and they did withhold information from Brady, says Bryan Sullivan of law firm Early Sullivan Wright Gizer McRae LLP in Los Angeles. And this happens at big companies more than we would want it to.Lesson for your company If your leadership surrounds itself with advisors who are little more than yes-men and women, its best toseek outside counsel.Dodge tackles, not issues. Toms personal preferenceson his footballs are something that he can talk about in much better detail and information than I could possibly provide. So said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to reporters.In referring to Deflategate as a matter of preferences rather than a question of whether NFL rules were broken, Belichick appeared disingenuous. He either declined to support his top employee or nearly threw him under a bus, depending on how you look at it. The question is, was this conduct more management or leadership?Lesson for your company Topleaderstake responsibility for what they know and for what they should have known, but didnt about how their workers conduct themselves on the job.