In current events last week, news came out about Bill Belichick’s recent job hunt, and how his former employer might have prevented him from getting his next role. Most of you already know the story, a famous coach that got fired and then was prevented from being rehired. But, what you have to understand is how executives and billionaires act tells us a lot about your own job hunt.
No one’s going to argue that his last few years were bad; for example there are rumors about him alienating players (which by the way is something that your coworkers will always say about you when you leave their organization), and his record in the last season was 4-12. Clearly he was not the right fit to coach the Patriots anymore, but everyone deserves another chance to start over at a new employer.
And so, in January, Belichick interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, and according to multiple reports from various sources at the time, he almost got it. Last week, journalists uncovered evidence that he was led to believe, throughout the entire process, that he was the front-runner, and he was about to be hired. Apparently, that was all a lie, because on Jan 25 it was announced that Raheem Morris would become the next head coach, a decision that shocked Bill Belichick.
I’m sure this all sounds familiar, to anyone here who has been through a job search before. He was interviewing for a role, everyone told him he was doing great, which was clearly not the truth, and then they quickly turned to another candidate without allowing him to plead his case.
If you’ve had a similar case, we’d love to hear about it! – Leave your comment below
Another Candidate Betrayed by their Employer
But the biggest part of this story to come out, is that despite everything Bill did for the team, for 24 years of service – his boss, Robert Kraft, provided a bad reference for him. And it was bad enough that it swayed the Falcons from hiring him. Just to review, this man had an incredible career with the team:
- 70% season win percentage, compiled 30 playoff wins,
- 11 consecutive playoff appearances,
- 6 Super Bowls.
Despite all that he did for the company, Robert Kraft sided with another billionaire owner and persuaded him not to hire his former employee.
You can say this is betrayal, but there is another way to view this. I want to use this experience to help you learn how to better improve your own career and job search.
Executives Embrace Self-Interest over Ethics
The question here is what lessons can we learn from the Patriots owner, regarding ethics, and how organizations work. Robert Kraft represents senior leadership at any large organization, and the fact is that while you’re producing they will always embrace you, but in the end you were only as good as your value to the team. No, I don’t think it’s clear that he intentionally sabotaged his employee, but it sounds like a fellow billionaire came to Kraft and asked him for his honest opinion… And Kraft felt no need to support someone who is no longer benefiting the organization. Despite how much they did for the team.
Remember, this comes from an organization that prides itself in never talking outside the building about what happens internally — yet the owner at the top did exactly the opposite. The rules never apply to senior executives, the same way that they apply to employees. That’s just the way that the business world works.
Forget the morality, the one thing I want you to understand from this story is that senior executives do not get to their position by being productive or good. They get to their position by working relationships to their advantage.
What advantage does it give the owner to talk good about a former employee? Is this ever going to benefit him again? Additionally, a recent ESPN article brings up an interesting point:
Asked whether Kraft had any motivation to keep Belichick off the sideline, a source close to the coach said: “If Bill goes on to have success and Tom [Brady] already had success, then who does [Kraft] have to blame?”
The fact is that Robert Kraft got a phone call from a prospective employer, someone that is in a very small circle with him (only 32 of them in the world)… Robert Kraft shrewdly calculated that it was in his benefit to maintain a relationship with a billionaire, rather than support his former employee. And going forward, I’m certain he’ll keep preaching how supportive he is of everyone on the team, and how he’ll take care of people. And the thing is, I don’t even think that Robert Kraft is the worst of these owners.
Use Self-Interest in your Career
Please, don’t use this as an anti-wealthy rant. Instead, I want you to think about how you can use this in your own career.
You’ve been told by society, and your employers, that production is rewarded, relationships with your coworkers are permanent, and that the company has “an open-door policy in order to promote transparency and truthfulness”. It’s not that corporations or senior executives are unethical, it’s just that it’s in their best interest for you to believe this, and they are playing the game that you should be.
Think about this the next time you are expected to be truthful in an interview, or how you don’t want to work multiple jobs at the same time, because that would be “unethical”.
You need to stop viewing actions at work through the lens of ethics, and instead lookout for your own best interest.
Start thinking like an executive, and just play the game!
This is why I preach about how important it is to lie during an interview, so long as it enables you to tell a good story about your actual skills. As an executive myself, who stays anonymous to protect my identity in the corporate world. I can assure you that every single successful senior executive I’ve ever worked with has operated exactly like Robert Kraft does. It’s my mission to help people to start thinking like executives, and to give people tools to advance their career – especially when it means taking advantage of bad recruiters.
Please, if you are looking for tools and tips on how to maneuver around bad recruiters and hiring managers, and get the best jobs for your career: Visit us at backgroundproof.com, read our blog, and sign-up for our newsletter. I’ll be posting content very regularly, because I’m terrified of what’s happening in the job market right now, and I want to make sure you have everything you need to succeed.
ABOUT ME
In real life, I’m an IT executive, with 20 years experience hiring. Here, I’m committed to helping others learn how to get jobs and work the system to your advantage, in ways that senior executives already know. If you need help with your job search, including ways to pass a background check for a fabricated job, please review our site for potential options.
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