The staff merrigoround

[GREENBLUE]

This is indicative to the revolving door staff problems all corps, except BD, seem to have. In most all corps, sans BD, when a corps wins a few captions some of the staff bails the next season for another corps; or if a caption that was previously winning happens to drop into a slump the corps administration shakes up the staff to garner someone they hope is better. However with BD: if the percussion, brass, whatever, takes fifth in their caption one year, wins their caption the next year, then drops back to fifth the next, ect.... Does BD fire Johnson, fire Downey, fire Meehan? Nope. Does Johnson, Downey, or Meehan quit? Nope. BD administration along with those aforementioned names stick it out together; they grit their teeth together; win or place fourth they come together as a loyal unit and attack the next season together. And then people in other corps, or on the outside looking in, wonder how the heck BD attains all of those 15 rings. Answer; they stick together through the thick and thin; they do not look elsewhere when they win; they do not look elsewhere for the better ride when they have a slump; they do not panic and can staff when a slump season occurs; they force themselves to suck it up and fix things 'together'.

FYI...Tinkel resigned. Not "let go".

I still believe that if the corps was performing later in the night Cavies drums would've been Top 5.

[rmurrey74]

Tinkel did a fantastic job. In fact,much better then most expected (2011 high drums) but its exciting to hear McIntosh is back as caption head as well as designer.

Now to see what happens with the brass and drill.

Brass staff is changing. Drill Design is staying the same.

[Stu]

Will somebody please hit the needle arm! This broken record keeps playing the same blurb over and over and over and over again...

FYI...Tinkel resigned. Not "let go".

FYI... Both of you are actually proving my point about stability and loyalty being major keys to consistent success for an organization. Do you see Johnson, as an example of the same 'blurb' over and over again, resigning when BD percussion drops from 1st to 5th? Nope. You see him dig in his heals, stay with BD, and fix the issue. BD does not play on the merri-go-round; they do, however, get amused by all the other staff fighting for a pretty painted horsey on that merrie-go-round while they ride horses which are bred from the stable of organizational stability and loyalty.

[George Dixon]

FYI... Both of you are actually proving my point about stability and loyalty being major keys to consistent success for an organization. Do you see Johnson, as an example of the same 'blurb' over and over again, resigning when BD percussion drops from 1st to 5th? Nope. You see him dig in his heals, stay with BD, and fix the issue. BD does not play on the merri-go-round; they do, however, get amused by all the other staff fighting for a pretty painted horsey on that merrie-go-round while they ride horses which are bred from the stable of organizational stability and loyalty.

BD pays best

[Stu]

BD pays best

So, it is about pay. This means that if the Scouts were to pony-up a larger Brass Caption Head salary than what the Devils pay Meehan, and Boston was to pony-up a larger Percussion Caption Head salary than what the Devils pay Johnson, those people would jump ship over to those two corps and leave the Devils? Hmmmm... Interesting. However, I contest your assertion here that it is about the Devils paying so much better because: a) the top two or three corps salaries for design staff and caption head staff are rather in line with one another and none of the Devils staff have ever played that duck duck goose game; and b) the Devils staff really are a close tight knit group of people.

Edited August 23, 2013 by Stu

[fsubone]

So, it is about pay. This means that if the Scouts were to pony-up a larger Brass Caption Head salary than what the Devils pay Meehan, and Boston was to pony-up a larger Percussion Caption Head salary than what the Devils pay Johnson, those people would jump ship over to those two corps and leave the Devils? Hmmmm... Interesting. However, I contest your assertion here that it is about the Devils paying so much better because: a) the top two or three corps salaries for design staff and caption head staff are rather in line with one another and none of the Devils staff have ever played that duck duck goose game; and b) the Devils staff really are a close tight knit group of people.

What about the rest of the staff? Just because the caption heads stay the same doesn't mean that the rest of the staff under them doesn't change over pretty often.

[Stu]

What about the rest of the staff? Just because the caption heads stay the same doesn't mean that the rest of the staff under them doesn't change over pretty often.

a) The thrust of this thread revolves around the 'major' salaried Caption Heads and Designers moving from one hobby horse to another hobby horse on the merri-go-round not the 'minor' Techs.

b) The Techs, just like minor employees at any other corporation, do move around. That is a normal occurrence within any corporation.

c) The stability of securing and retaining major salaried personnel is always a huge benefit to any corporation's ability to have 'consistent' success.

d) The instability of not securing and retaining major salaried personnel is always damaging to any corporation's ability to have 'consistent' success.

e) The drum corps within DCI which has secured, and retained, that is the key, retained their major salaried personnel is the corps which has the 15 rings.

[kdaddy]

FYI... Both of you are actually proving my point about stability and loyalty being major keys to consistent success for an organization. Do you see Johnson, as an example of the same 'blurb' over and over again, resigning when BD percussion drops from 1st to 5th? Nope. You see him dig in his heals, stay with BD, and fix the issue. BD does not play on the merri-go-round; they do, however, get amused by all the other staff fighting for a pretty painted horsey on that merrie-go-round while they ride horses which are bred from the stable of organizational stability and loyalty.

So I guess you're suggesting that Michael Gaines is unloyal because he decided to do something other than write Cavies drill? (no, I don't think you're suggesting this, but you certainly jumped to conclusions about salary). I understand your point about loyalty to and from BD, but you're taking this to the extreme.

Also, if BD finishes 8th a couple years straight, who knows what might happen.

[seen-it-all]

Basically, you're making it sound as if all you need to do is keep the same design team together and eventually you'll be as good as the Blue Devils. You can't really believe that it's as simple as that, can you? We already know that the Blue Devils are the gold standard when it comes to staff retention. But it's not JUST that they've been together the longest, though that certainly has contributed to it. The main reasons for this longevity (which aren't as re-producable around the activity as you seem to imply) are quite simple.

1) First and foremost, these are arguably the BEST designers in the entire drum corps and marching pageantry activity. There are only a very small handful of other designers around who are as good at what they do as they are.

2) They produce results. The titles and caption awards speak for themselves.

3) The BD admin is perfectly happy to continue paying them to do what they do because of #1 and #2.

4) The designers are perfectly happy to remain there because there simply are no other places in the activity where there is no major "squeaks to the wheel," so to speak.

That's the way it works there. It is an ANOMALY in drum corps. They are the exception.

When it comes to other designers, they may switch around for a variety of reasons. Where they live in relation to where the corps is. What their family situation is at the time. How well they work with the other designers and admin of their corps. How much they are being compensated for their work. Their overall enjoyment and sense of self-fulfillment working with that corps.

At the same time, other corps may decide to switch designers for a variety of reasons as well. The quality of work those designers produce. Again, how well the design team gels together. Or they may feel it's time for a change and a new perspective on a certain caption. Or they know of a designer who has produced better results consistently who has suddenly become available. (Sometimes, that last one can be the spark that ignites a groundswell of other major changes that propels that corps forward in a big way: see Carolina Crown circa 2003. It's rare that it works like that, or to that degree, but it does happen.)

Point being that while every corps would LOVE to have a staff with the kind of consistency as BD, it's just not practical to expect (or even pine for) corps to keep the same design team as long as the Blue Devils have. As I said, they are an anomaly. If a corps isn't happy with the product their designers are giving them, or if they are not satisfied with the way the team is working together, why should they keep that designer (or designers)? Because of loyalty? Because that's what the Blue Devils do? Why shouldn't they look for a better option or a better fit? Or to put it another way, if the Blue Devils were an 8th place corps and they were consistently finishing in the 7th through 11th positions year after year after year after year, do you honestly think that great "family atmosphere" of mutual loyalty would keep that design team together for as long as they've been together? I sincerely doubt it. We'd be looking at some other corps with the most rings and saying, "Why don't more corps do what THEY do?"

[Slingerland]

So, it is about pay. This means that if the Scouts were to pony-up a larger Brass Caption Head salary than what the Devils pay Meehan, and Boston was to pony-up a larger Percussion Caption Head salary than what the Devils pay Johnson, those people would jump ship over to those two corps and leave the Devils?

Why do you think they wouldn't? If Boston were able to dangle a multi-year contract in front of any of BD's lead designers that put to shame the amount they're getting from BD, and offered them the type of personal brand-building opportunities that are what REALLY makes someone money in this business (Gaines certainly didn't need whatever Cavaliers were paying him, after awhile), why do you assume that the BD designers wouldn't take it?

I like the guys I work for too, but a 30% salary increase from a competitor would make up for any loss of companionship.

RE: the Cavaliers situation with Mac, it's a good move. It brings him even more in-house, helps push their brand with the kids who make up the marching percussion market, and serves as an incentive for drummers from this year to return. There's no downside.