"Under promise, over deliver."
Utah's coaches and the football program forgot this sage business advice leading up to this season. Expectations got way out of whack and should have been tempered immediately. I'm sure Whittingham would grumble and say he doesn't pay attention to such things but that is a huge mistake with real world repercussions.
If you've ever followed the stock market you know what happens when a company doesn't meet earnings expectations. It ain't good. A smart management tempers expectations so they don't get those negative, nasty surprises. When results disappoint and the stock market punishes a company with a rapid decline in the share price there is often lasting damage done to the reputation of the management. You sometimes see lenders pulling back, demanding higher interest rates on loans. Business partners get spooked and the company's perceived risk increases so that issuing stock for company growth becomes more dilutive. Additionally, angry shareholders demand change, both in management and the business plan - often worsening the situation.
But back to Utah football. I can honestly say I have never seen such angry fans as there were at the Washington game on Saturday. This went well beyond the normal frustration following a loss. This was the frustration that comes from adjusting expectations. So what does it matter? Who cares if fans get angry? Well, if that anger spills over to the "big shareholders", they start demanding changes. If donations are pulled and coaches get fired, it could throw the entire program into chaos. Utah can't survive that kind of turmoil. Remember how close Whit came to getting fired after two 5-7 seasons? That can happen again.
If expectations were for a 7-5 season, nobody would be that angry over a loss to Washington. In fact, fans might actually be encouraged by what they saw. But when expectations are for Utah to win the South and a 10-2 or 9-3 season, what we witnessed in the first 3 games is like a slap in the face. The program should have reined in expectations long ago. We should never have heard how amazing Huntley was and how he had so clearly separated himself from the others. We should have never heard about these 8 great receivers who are catching everything. It makes the coaches look foolish and brings into question their judgment. Even if these reports originated outside the program, they should have put out contrary information. I'm sure some will say that controlling expectations is out of the hands of the program but the savvy ones find a way and in the business world are rewarded handsomely for it.
Utah's coaches and the football program forgot this sage business advice leading up to this season. Expectations got way out of whack and should have been tempered immediately. I'm sure Whittingham would grumble and say he doesn't pay attention to such things but that is a huge mistake with real world repercussions.
If you've ever followed the stock market you know what happens when a company doesn't meet earnings expectations. It ain't good. A smart management tempers expectations so they don't get those negative, nasty surprises. When results disappoint and the stock market punishes a company with a rapid decline in the share price there is often lasting damage done to the reputation of the management. You sometimes see lenders pulling back, demanding higher interest rates on loans. Business partners get spooked and the company's perceived risk increases so that issuing stock for company growth becomes more dilutive. Additionally, angry shareholders demand change, both in management and the business plan - often worsening the situation.
But back to Utah football. I can honestly say I have never seen such angry fans as there were at the Washington game on Saturday. This went well beyond the normal frustration following a loss. This was the frustration that comes from adjusting expectations. So what does it matter? Who cares if fans get angry? Well, if that anger spills over to the "big shareholders", they start demanding changes. If donations are pulled and coaches get fired, it could throw the entire program into chaos. Utah can't survive that kind of turmoil. Remember how close Whit came to getting fired after two 5-7 seasons? That can happen again.
If expectations were for a 7-5 season, nobody would be that angry over a loss to Washington. In fact, fans might actually be encouraged by what they saw. But when expectations are for Utah to win the South and a 10-2 or 9-3 season, what we witnessed in the first 3 games is like a slap in the face. The program should have reined in expectations long ago. We should never have heard how amazing Huntley was and how he had so clearly separated himself from the others. We should have never heard about these 8 great receivers who are catching everything. It makes the coaches look foolish and brings into question their judgment. Even if these reports originated outside the program, they should have put out contrary information. I'm sure some will say that controlling expectations is out of the hands of the program but the savvy ones find a way and in the business world are rewarded handsomely for it.
