You go to bat for a guy in your first book… And then he proves why the Old Guard is exactly who they are.
If you haven’t read The Wave, I actually previewed this section of the book in the newsletter:
Read it first so you have a clue what I’m talking about for the rest of this.
The Victim Becomes the Assailant
You know when something bad happens to someone in their past and then they are featured on a true crime podcast?
One of two things happens when you’re met with a shit situation like working for a short-sighted douchebag that cans you after your first year on the job.
You don’t like how it felt, so you DON’T EVER do it to others
You don’t like how it felt, and then you DO it to others
Scott Langer makes the playoffs in his first season in the USHL with Fargo and gets fired.
Then the ownership in Aberdeen give him a job back with his former organization. That’s fine, don’t want your favorite former coach to be unemployed. Here’s the thing though… They gave him the wrong job. They gave him a job that ensured the shitshow would happen.
They give him the GM and President of Ops job.
You know, the job that is in charge of the fate of the current head coach. I would have started packing my shit immediately.
So Aberdeen starts out 4-5. Not great by their standards but you can turn that ship around. Unless your GM wants to be back behind the bench.
Then you just get fired at 4-5 so the guy that wants to coach can coach again.
It comes full circle. The Old Way is the wrong way. This is the wrong way.
The Old Way doesn’t learn lessons, they repeat them.