Terry Francona, former manager of the Boston Red Sox, recently got in a little bit of hot water over him writing a book about his time with the team. In “The Red Sox Years,” his book with Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaugnessy, Francona had some very negative things to say about the team’s ownership, accusing them of not caring about baseball, and being more concerned with marketing than having a good baseball team. In addition, he reported a variety of private conversations he had with them.
Francona had a reputation as one of the classiest individuals in baseball, but that reputation has taken a bit of a hit with this book. This, even though the team’s ownership had its own issues with reportedly badmouthing players and others in the organization. Francona is said to have suspected that the team’s ownership had their hands in some negative press about the manager after he resigned the team.
But here’s the thing. Even if Francona’s criticism of his old bosses is totally correct, and even if they were known to talk badly about others, him writing a book and airing his criticisms of them ends up making the manager look bad. After all, the Red Sox ownership hired him and gave him the second biggest budget in baseball, as well as quality players.
And Francona wasn’t perfect himself. He had to quit the team after he lost control of the clubhouse – players on his watch were eating fried chicken and drinking beer during games.
What we can learn from this
Now, Francona has landed on his feet after having to resign from the Red Sox – he is the new manager of the Cleveland Indians. But would the Indians have hired him if they had known he would trash his previous front office? And will they speak frankly with him now, or are they going to worry about Francona taking notes for his next book?
The lesson to be learned here can be translated into what experts in career coaching in Chicago, Cleveland, Boston and elsewhere would note. Francona would have been better in taking the high road and moving on gracefully into a new job. Now he looks like a blabbermouth – or even a rat — for co-writing a book, and biting the hands that fed him.
There’s an adage about how living well is the best revenge. If you have bad bosses, the best revenge you can get is to move on to a new job. You may think you are speaking truth to power in telling them what’s what, and telling others what you really think of them, but you may only succeed in making yourself look like a rat in doing so. Why not simply lead with your head held high and move on to something better?
For career advice on how to do this, you can talk to experts in career coaching in Chicago and elsewhere in order to do so? Click here to be in touch with people who work in career coaching in Chicago and throughout the country.
Lisa Swan writes for life, executive and career coaching sites like MeredithHaberfeld.com.
