, There has been much written about the turnaround of the Chicago Camo Blackhawks Jersey National Hockey League franchise - from being almost last in attendance to winning the Stanley Cup in June of 2010. In 2004, ESPN had named the Blackhawks the worst franchise in sports. Most recently, Forbes highlighted the team\'s success and called it the greatest turnaround ever in sport\'s history.
A great deal can be learned about leadership from the recent history of the Blackhawks and their drive to become the best team in professional hockey. For those who follow the team closely, you probably know that they have recently traded and released a number of players who made key contributions to the championship season. Despite these trades, the leadership lessons still hold true.
The team\'s turning point has been linked to the ascent of Camo Blackhawks Jersey Rocky Wirtz to the chairman\'s role. But it actually began with the drafting of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane by Dale Tallon, the former general manager, prior to Rocky Wirtz\'s taking over the team. These two players make up the core nucleus on which the team has been built.
Rocky Wirtz succeeded his father, William (Bill) Wirtz, who ran the team for 41 years. Bill was a very astute businessman but had been stuck in a 1990\'s strategy of pay-per-view television and keeping player salaries under tight control. The financial situation was desperate at the time of Bill Wirtz\'s death in September of 2007. Rocky Wirtz was in the unenviable position of having to quickly reverse almost every one of his father\'s major decisions.
One of his first decisions was moving into his grandfather\'s old office. Arthur Wirtz had been a major contributor to the growth of the original NHL. His office was left virtually untouched since his 1983 death. Bill Wirtz had refused to allow the office to be occupied by anyone else for almost 25 years. This move symbolized the forward movement of the team and emphasized the goal of returning the team to prominence.
Forbes magazine reported that under Bill Wirtz, the fans and other key stakeholders had grown estranged from the team. The Blackhawks had alienated its players, fans and key stakeholders. Think of the parallels to disengaged employees, unhappy customers and frustrated stakeholders.
Over the years, various disagreements had created a riff between management and its former Hall of Fame Players. This included famous names such as Bobby Hall, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito. In fact, Bill Wirtz was blamed for allowing Bobby Hull to leave the team and join the World Hockey Association (WHA) in 1972.
These former star players were welcomed back by the new Blackhawks. Each was given their own recognition day and each became an important link to the past glory of the team. More importantly, they helped reinforced the winning culture that the new management had embraced.
The team also reached out to the fan base in other ways. By switching the radio broadcasts to mega-station WGN and broadcasting all home games on free television, they actually were able to increase attendance at the United Center. This was in direct conflict with Bill Wirtz\'s philosophy that broadcasting Camo Blackhawks Jersey home games was a disservice to season ticket holders.
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