The Franchise: The Business of Building Winning Teams

by Craig Custance

“It occurred to me, this whole view of how to operate and how to manage and how to do all that right? Vulnerability. The key thing was, if you really want to do something great, you’re going to have to stare down immense doubt and challenge and you’re going to have to make big decisions,” Dubas said.

He spotted Nicklas Backstrom with the Cup, having a great time. Backstrom looked over at Leonsis, spotted him and his wife, Lynn, and ran over with the Cup. He handed it to Leonsis. “And he starts crying,” Leonsis said. “And he goes, ‘Thank you, I love you, thank you. I’m an idiot.’ ”

When everyone had a chance to touch the Olympic medals, Duggan walked to the front of the room. “Did everyone have a chance to hold it?” she asked of the silver medals. Everybody nodded. “Great. That’s the last time anybody is going to touch a silver medal in our program again.”

“He creates an environment where you want to help,” said Doan. “He makes you feel like he wants your help and that it will matter. That makes you want to do more.”

The presence, to him, is a prerequisite. “You have to do it. It’s an all-the-time job. It just is,” McPhee explained. “You have your day shift, you have your night shift. You work holidays. You work weekends. The summers are busier than the season.” You’re there to observe. And you’re there to deal with the inevitable issue of the day. “There’s always something that has to be addressed. Always,” he said. “But even the little things, they have to be addressed. It’s how you keep people on the right path.”