Pro football running back Ricky Watters had an amazing career.  He accumulated over 10,000 rushing yards and over 4,000 receiving yards for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks.  He caught 5 touchdown passes for the 49ers in a single NFL playoff game, which is a league record, and caught three TD passes for the 49ers in the 1995 Super Bowl. 

Watters was an amazing playmaker on the field, but off the field his mouth was his own worst enemy.

In a game Watters played as a member of the Eagles, his team was down by three touchdowns late in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Watters was open for a long pass in the middle of the field, and his quarterback threw it to him.  In uncharacteristic fashion, however, Watters seemed to purposefully give up on trying to catch the pass, ostensibly because a defender was coming at him with a full head of steam. 

When asked about the pass in a post-game interview, Watters was matter-of-fact about the incompletion.  Why didn’t he extend his body to try to catch it?  His famous answer was, “For who?  For what?” 

The fans were livid, thinking that Watters had given up on his team — which he had. 

As a manager, you may have someone on your sales team that may be acting just like Ricky Watters did.  They’re not taking it for the team.  They’ve lost the will to fight for the cause.  Maybe they don’t believe in what’s going on in the company, or they’ve lost that initial spark of enthusiasm for the job.  Maybe they’ve lost respect for the top layers of the organization — or maybe they’ve lost respect for you — and they may be asking themselves, “For who?”  and “For what?” 

You’re the coach.  What are you going to do about it?

Your responsibility to the entire team is to keep an eye out for these individuals, and take swift action to correct the situation.  The longer you wait, the more respect you lose from your team by allowing it to linger. 

What should you do?  There are several options.  Begin by taking the individual aside and let them know that you’ve been observing some things that have concerned you.  Ask for them to be honest with you about what’s going on.  If they choose not to say anything, observe them more closely for a short period of time, and if no changes occur, meet again and reiterate what you’re witnessing, with a plan of corrective action.  If they’re honest with you and let you have it between the eyes, don’t reach harshly.  You asked for feedback, so you can’t be angry for getting what you ask for!  Take it under advisement, and re-address it in a day or two.  Don’t let your emotions get the best of you, especially with your sales team. 

Your team deserves to play under the very best of conditions, including their co-workers.  It may be too late for Ricky Watters, but it’s not too late for you. 
– Bill Guertin is CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a sales performance improvement company based in suburban Chicago, IL whose list of clients includes professional sports teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer.  Learn more about Bill at www.The800PoundGorilla.com, or follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/800poundgorilla.

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