It’s Survivor DEI!
Now I have been pretty damn busy this week with the last of my term papers and finals coming up, but given events in the #8 stable, I felt I should jump in here and comment.
Cuz', Y'know, I'm me. ;)
Now while I do tend to be protective from people I relate to, such as people from the Homestate, given the Bud Crew’s slow progress and slight downturn the last couple weeks I do understand them wanting to try someone new at the top of the pit box. That Steve Hmiel could repeat his success as Mark Martin’s crew chief does make him a good choice (though I question whether someone who has already been bounced by NASCAR for losing his temper can keep Dale Jr. calm during a race). The change in and of itself I do not protest.
And I am relatively new to this game, and this is commentary from the peanut gallery...
HOW-EV-ER
First of all? Interim Crew Chief? Like playing Musical Chairs with the Pit Box is really going to add to the team’s consistency? They couldn’t wait until they found someone permanent to fill the spot? Or is the real plan to have Steve Hmiel in there permanently but they don’t want to admit it yet?
But what was made obvious by the press conference yesterday was that Pete was just as much the victim of office politics as poor performance.
This first statement that raises eyebrows was made by Dale Jr. himself: “I didn't feel like personally I was getting a lot of information about what changes were being done on the car…”
This, of course, is from Mr. “Don’t-talk-in-my-ear-all-the-time-Hey-I’m-feeling-lonely-out-here-someone-talk-to-me.”
Not: “He couldn’t find his way around the performance issues”
Not ” We just couldn’t get around the new gear and aerodynamic rules and need to step it up.”
“He wouldn’t talk to me enough.”
Given Pete’s statements this morning: “"From my side of it, I gave him what he asked for. And now I'm hearing he wanted more. Basically what he got was what he wanted. I guess that still wasn't enough."
What it looks like is that Dale Jr. didn’t bother A. figure out exactly how much communication he wanted and B. sit down and hash out what he felt the communication problems were with his Crew Chief but instead went behind his back and just gave him the boot instead.
Thank you Mr. Passive-Aggressive.
The next statement comes from Steve Hmiel: “Richie and myself and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and all the other crew chiefs have talked a lot this week and we're going to a strictly open-book policy where we'll use engineering unilaterally.”
Let me address the first part. “Richie and myself and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and all the other crew chiefs…”
Odd that he doesn’t mention the CC of their leading team by name in that discussion isn’t it? Get the feeling someone was left out of these imperative discussions about an “open book” policy?
Get the feeling that having a crew chief being left out of an “open book policy” discussion is more than a little hypocritical?
Secondly, Why hasn’t DEI jumped on the data sharing bandwagon years before this?
Hmiel’s excuse? “We just weren't at that point in our company's history.”
Oh, and this week you are?
Golly, I’ll have to use that excuse here at my job. “I’m sorry I didn’t process those check requests Boss, but we aren’t at that point in this companies history.” “I’m sorry I didn’t answer the phone, but it just wasn’t the right time for us…”
And now suddenly Tony Jr. is willing to share with Hmiel.
LAME! Why the hell didn’t this happen before? Because someone dislikes sharing? I got news for ya’ll. That wasn’t up to CC's to decide who they did or didn’t want to share their notes with. That was up to management to remind the CC's that they was there to win championships for the company that signs their paychecks, pry the notes out of their little fingers and walk them over to the 15 shop, then take their notes and walk back to the 8 shop. Does DEI seriously think Knauss and Loomis or Tryson and Pfennig arbitrarily decide who to share and not share their notes with based on their personal feelings?
What it looks like from this end is that Pete wasn’t replaced so much as outmaneuvered by a Survivor-esque alliance. Pete: The tribe has spoken.
Jeezus! Is it any wonder DEI keep losing good people with this kind of working environment? Good Lord guys the job itself is hell, why make it worse by this kind of B.S.? Be straightforward. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Figure out what you want and communicate that. Face problems head on and talk about them openly (amongst yourselves, obviously the fan base doesn’t need to hear every little thing.)
NOW...
Don’t get me wrong. I still love the 8 car (the cars probably being the only innocent parties in the shop. *chuckle*) I will still be rooting for Dale Jr. to win, I still think he’s one of the best wheelmen out there and has it in him to be one of the best drivers ever. At heart I think Dale Jr. is a good person. I still enjoy watching him learn and grow professionally (which is what makes him so interesting to fans) and will continue to do so.
But it is obvious that a drastic change in DEI corporate culture needs to be addressed if they want to remain a top tier organization in the long term. If Dale Jr. is right and “When you sit around and have conversations and discussions with Richie and Steve and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and some of the engineers and a lot of the new people we've brought in, you feel like this company is just on the brink of being a true success.” Then the issue they need to address is how all those great people are being managed and the example the personnel the entire company looks to are setting.
Now, I have a paper on the transition from Pagan to Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Russia to get back to work on. (You realize how little info there is on Pre-Christian Russian culture? Practically zip. At least that isn’t printed in Cyrillic.) I wish everyone involved in this the best. I hope that Pete finds himself a great CC job. I hope Steve Hmiel works out as well as everyone hopes. I hope the 8 team has an awesome run this weekend.
Best of luck also to the 38 and the 6, keep up the good work guys!
Have a safe and fun race all!
Cuz', Y'know, I'm me. ;)
Now while I do tend to be protective from people I relate to, such as people from the Homestate, given the Bud Crew’s slow progress and slight downturn the last couple weeks I do understand them wanting to try someone new at the top of the pit box. That Steve Hmiel could repeat his success as Mark Martin’s crew chief does make him a good choice (though I question whether someone who has already been bounced by NASCAR for losing his temper can keep Dale Jr. calm during a race). The change in and of itself I do not protest.
And I am relatively new to this game, and this is commentary from the peanut gallery...
HOW-EV-ER
First of all? Interim Crew Chief? Like playing Musical Chairs with the Pit Box is really going to add to the team’s consistency? They couldn’t wait until they found someone permanent to fill the spot? Or is the real plan to have Steve Hmiel in there permanently but they don’t want to admit it yet?
But what was made obvious by the press conference yesterday was that Pete was just as much the victim of office politics as poor performance.
This first statement that raises eyebrows was made by Dale Jr. himself: “I didn't feel like personally I was getting a lot of information about what changes were being done on the car…”
This, of course, is from Mr. “Don’t-talk-in-my-ear-all-the-time-Hey-I’m-feeling-lonely-out-here-someone-talk-to-me.”
Not: “He couldn’t find his way around the performance issues”
Not ” We just couldn’t get around the new gear and aerodynamic rules and need to step it up.”
“He wouldn’t talk to me enough.”
Given Pete’s statements this morning: “"From my side of it, I gave him what he asked for. And now I'm hearing he wanted more. Basically what he got was what he wanted. I guess that still wasn't enough."
What it looks like is that Dale Jr. didn’t bother A. figure out exactly how much communication he wanted and B. sit down and hash out what he felt the communication problems were with his Crew Chief but instead went behind his back and just gave him the boot instead.
Thank you Mr. Passive-Aggressive.
The next statement comes from Steve Hmiel: “Richie and myself and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and all the other crew chiefs have talked a lot this week and we're going to a strictly open-book policy where we'll use engineering unilaterally.”
Let me address the first part. “Richie and myself and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and all the other crew chiefs…”
Odd that he doesn’t mention the CC of their leading team by name in that discussion isn’t it? Get the feeling someone was left out of these imperative discussions about an “open book” policy?
Get the feeling that having a crew chief being left out of an “open book policy” discussion is more than a little hypocritical?
Secondly, Why hasn’t DEI jumped on the data sharing bandwagon years before this?
Hmiel’s excuse? “We just weren't at that point in our company's history.”
Oh, and this week you are?
Golly, I’ll have to use that excuse here at my job. “I’m sorry I didn’t process those check requests Boss, but we aren’t at that point in this companies history.” “I’m sorry I didn’t answer the phone, but it just wasn’t the right time for us…”
And now suddenly Tony Jr. is willing to share with Hmiel.
LAME! Why the hell didn’t this happen before? Because someone dislikes sharing? I got news for ya’ll. That wasn’t up to CC's to decide who they did or didn’t want to share their notes with. That was up to management to remind the CC's that they was there to win championships for the company that signs their paychecks, pry the notes out of their little fingers and walk them over to the 15 shop, then take their notes and walk back to the 8 shop. Does DEI seriously think Knauss and Loomis or Tryson and Pfennig arbitrarily decide who to share and not share their notes with based on their personal feelings?
What it looks like from this end is that Pete wasn’t replaced so much as outmaneuvered by a Survivor-esque alliance. Pete: The tribe has spoken.
Jeezus! Is it any wonder DEI keep losing good people with this kind of working environment? Good Lord guys the job itself is hell, why make it worse by this kind of B.S.? Be straightforward. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Figure out what you want and communicate that. Face problems head on and talk about them openly (amongst yourselves, obviously the fan base doesn’t need to hear every little thing.)
NOW...
Don’t get me wrong. I still love the 8 car (the cars probably being the only innocent parties in the shop. *chuckle*) I will still be rooting for Dale Jr. to win, I still think he’s one of the best wheelmen out there and has it in him to be one of the best drivers ever. At heart I think Dale Jr. is a good person. I still enjoy watching him learn and grow professionally (which is what makes him so interesting to fans) and will continue to do so.
But it is obvious that a drastic change in DEI corporate culture needs to be addressed if they want to remain a top tier organization in the long term. If Dale Jr. is right and “When you sit around and have conversations and discussions with Richie and Steve and Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. and some of the engineers and a lot of the new people we've brought in, you feel like this company is just on the brink of being a true success.” Then the issue they need to address is how all those great people are being managed and the example the personnel the entire company looks to are setting.
Now, I have a paper on the transition from Pagan to Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Russia to get back to work on. (You realize how little info there is on Pre-Christian Russian culture? Practically zip. At least that isn’t printed in Cyrillic.) I wish everyone involved in this the best. I hope that Pete finds himself a great CC job. I hope Steve Hmiel works out as well as everyone hopes. I hope the 8 team has an awesome run this weekend.
Best of luck also to the 38 and the 6, keep up the good work guys!
Have a safe and fun race all!
posted by KiplingKat | 1:05 PM
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