Executive coach Joe Sinnott of Witting Partners and the host of The Energy Detox Podcast joins ESG University founder Jason Spiess to discuss the Brian Flores and Tua Tagovailoa situation that has many in the sports world buzzing.
According to many reports, the two have had a strained relationship since their time together with the Miami Dolphins. Tagovailoa recently stated that he hasn't spoken with Flores since their public exchanges about their relationship dynamics during Flores' tenure as head coach.
Flores, who coached Tagovailoa for two seasons before being fired in January 2022, expressed support despite criticisms from Tagovailoa. Their communication breakdown highlights ongoing tensions despite their shared history in Miami.
Sinnott and Spiess discuss how their communication and issues are common in the workplace and life.
The two discuss how management friction is a real issue very few discuss.
“The keyword there that you mentioned is friction,” Sinnott said. “If there's a lot of friction in place that's preventing you from moving forward and progressing, from being on the same page or team, then you're doomed to fail.”
Sinnott continued discussing how workplaces can become places of friction, using the media reports of the Tua/Flores situation.
“How does it feel when you show up and your superior is basically saying, hey, look, you know, you don't belong here,” Sinnott said. “You know, essentially you're not going to succeed here. And at that point, things grind to a halt, right That's friction.”
Spiess shared a story from his publishing days and working with newspapers across the country, explaining how they would love to guess which department the publisher came from based on the meeting, rhetoric and management style.
“Did they come from sales? Did they come from editorial? Did they come from circulation?” Spiess asked. “Because their management style generally came from their pedigree and I wonder how much of that played into this whole Tua Flores issue.”
Spiess added additional context in that Flores came from the Bill Belichick learning tree, whereas Tua was coming in from a decorated high school and college football career.
The two next discussed how easily two people under the same company umbrella can be on different pages due to interpretation of the message and presentation.
“Often times when someone reads an email, whatever mood they are in, that’s how they will interpret it,” Spiess said. “If someone is in a bad mood and they read an email, they may interpret it as negative when the sender had no intention of negativity at all.”
Sinnott agreed with Spiess and added some additional coaching context.
When I look at the Flores to a situation, Flores is a defensive coach and he's talking to an offensive person," Spiess said. "He also came from the Bill Belichick school of, hey, listen, I'm going to just beat you down with some very hard words, toughen up like Tom Brady did."
Sinnott related this to the corporate and company world.
"At the end of the day, it comes down to your audience, right?" Sinnott said. “As cliche as it is, the better you understand your audience. Where they've come from, the lens that they're looking at things through, where they want to head, well, the better off you're going to be when it comes to motivating them.”
The two also discussed the difference between “taking the high road and low road”. The world of social media has changed communication and many former employees have been known to vent or air their one-sided issues on social media, a podcast or in the media. On the flip side, some will use the same mediums and speak gracefully and with gratitude about their experience and how life is always an opportunity to learn and grow.
Whether it's true or not, there's clearly a narrative out there. Clearly I failed in communication,” Sinnott said. “Flores, in this examples is asking himself ‘how I can grow from this opportunity. What are all the ways I can grow from this’?
Sinnott continued coaching on how the coach handled the situation.
“What are all the ways to grow?” Sinnott asked. “And that is, I mean, that is the universal conclusion that adds value in any circumstance.”
Sinnott can be reached on LinkedIn or by visiting www.wittingpartners.com. Be sure to check out The Energy Detox podcast season premiere coming in September.
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An Executive Coach Coaches the Tua Flores Communication Kerfuffle