The Career Suicide of Ron Washington: A Cautionary Tale

The greatest Texas Rangers manager ever, without question, is Ron Washington. “Wash,” as most lifelong Rangers fans like me called him, unexpectedly resigned in September (three weeks before the season ended) after nine amazing years as manager. He walked away from a job that took him almost 40 years to secure. Working his way up the ladder from MLB player to a variety of coaching roles, he rose to the highest level in a manager role that paid him over $1 million a year. And now, three years after being in the World Series, he can’t find a job (or even get a major league team to call him back, for any coaching position at any level).

What Ron did is known as career suicide. For the record: I don’t know Ron Washington or have any insider knowledge of his personal or business relationships. But I have made some of his same career mistakes. And I think that there are things we can learn from his decisions on a business level.

Never quit your job when you don’t have another one lined up
Wash quit his job before the season ended due to personal/marital issues. He left his team hanging, which wasn’t great. Ron is now 63 years old. Finding a job at his age will be more difficult than he probably realized at the time. While he is talented and has a great resume, the reality is that there are tons of younger candidates who would take less money and don’t bring his baggage along. Before you quit your job remember that most employers and hiring managers would prefer a candidate who is already working. Even if you have a good reason to be unemployed, you are not in as good a position of strength than if you were working.

I have done this before, and in retrospect, it was a major mistake. And I would think in looking back that Ron wishes he hadn’t left. Baseball gives a lot of second (and third and fourth and . . .) chances, but it seems particularly difficult for managers who quit their jobs, whatever the reason. Consider Mike Hargrove, who quit his job as the Seattle Mariners’ manager in the middle of the 2007 season citing stress. Or Jim Riggleman, who quit his job as Washington Nationals manager in 2011 in the middle of a contract dispute. Hargrove has had some invites to spring training and various minor baseball titles. Riggleman has managed in the minors since. Neither has had a chance to manage in the bigs again. Getting a high-level job in any industry is really tough today. Don’t throw it away, because you might not be able to get another job at that level.

Don’t let your personal life destroy your career
Wash got busted for cocaine in 2010 and it was a great embarrassment for him and the Rangers organization. The Rangers management team worked patiently with him and it didn’t affect his job performance overall. Last fall an extramarital affair caused one of the top managers in baseball to resign before the end of the season. The Rangers didn’t try to convince Wash to stay after the second strike. Employers only have so much patience. Everyone will have personal issues in life that will affect them on a very real level. When you allow it to divert your career, it is something that can cause irreparable harm.

When you need a job, you must network
When I give advice to job hunters, this is my No. 1 suggestion to focus on. According to the Baton Rouge Advocate: “Washington is shuffling around New Orleans working with some kids at the University of New Orleans and some teens at Major League Baseball's urban academy. And he's done some offseason tutorials with the stray New Orleanian major leaguer, such as Angels infielder Johnny Giavotella.”

This is not going to get Wash a major league-level job! Baseball just had their Winter Meetings and Wash was nowhere to be seen. Out of sight, out of mind. I see the same things with colleagues who are looking for work. You need to attend industry events. Go to where the jobs (and decision-makers) are! They aren’t going to come knocking your door down to work for them.

Don’t ignore your reputation
The reputation you spent 20 to 30 years building can be destroyed in an instant. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul has great advice regarding temptations: Run! Flee! I’ve seen too many guys on business trips go out for one last drink at midnight and then make a mistake that ruins their marriage or causes them to get a DUI. None of us are perfect and we all make mistakes. You can mitigate this risk by avoiding places and people you know could cause you potential harm.

Never make a rash decision when it involves your career
I’m a friend of the best-selling author and speaker Blair Singer, who is part of the “Rich Dads” group. He has a line that I use all the time: “When emotions go high, IQ goes down” I have made this mistake many a time. Responding to a hostile email with an “angry arrow” instead of waiting to calm down overnight, for example. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and you might feel that quitting your job is your only option. Don’t do it if at all possible. Take some time to let your emotions go down. Pray for guidance. Talk to your family. You will most likely make a different decision than the one you were going to make when your emotions were high.

Spring training begins this week and it will be the first one that Ron Washington will miss since 1970. That is really sad on a variety of levels. I hope he gets a chance in the future. Wash is a “baseball lifer” who loves the game and deserves a shot. Be careful that you don’t walk down that path and end up on the outside looking in.