Originally Posted by dgack
I wanted to say something about this -- which is, one of the problems with blaming (or praising) Gibbs for every decision, is that, like it or not, it's very probable that a lot of those decisions were made fairly independently by guys who he has delegated a lot of authority to. When Grilliamss decided he wanted Arch Deluxe and wanted to drop a ton of cash on him, Joe ultimately had to sign off on the deal, but what it likely came down to was him saying, "do I trust and believe in this guy (Grilliamss)?" and "Does what he's saying seem so wrong that I can't allow it to happen?"
When you're a leader in a management organization like the Skins, you learn pretty quick that micromanagement and looking over the shoulders of your subordinates is a huge mistake (and a waste of time). It sabotages them, they resent it, and ultimately it just kills any leadership development. What you do is bring in good, smart people you believe in, and you let them do their thing. If they need help, you give it, and if they screw up, you gotta let them know. But you also know you can't go countermanding their instructions or you essentially undermine their leadership entirely.
I firmly believe Joe is going to have a lot to say to both Saunders and Grilliamss in the offseason, and he may very well be less willing to sign off on things they ask for, sight unseen. They probably lost a little bit of his trust, and should have to earn it back. But I also know that as a leader who wants his people to succeed, Joe is not necessarily the cause of all of this mess.
He's accountable for it, but I'm not so sure he's responsible for it. There's a big difference.
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