At the start of a new week, we take a trip to Raider Nation, as former Oakland Raiders CEO Amy Trask joins Mark Schofield and Chuck Zodda on the June 13 Quick Kicks Podcast. Amy had a 26-year career with the Raiders, working alongside owner Al Davis to build some of the NFL’s toughest and most exciting teams to watch. Whether negotiating player contracts or speaking on behalf of Oakland at owners meetings, Amy was one of the most influential people in the game, as she led the Raiders to six playoff appearances, five division titles, and one Super Bowl appearance. Topics this episode include:
- Amy’s decision to attend law school and the process behind that decision, and how she eventually found herself working for the Raiders, first as an intern during law school, and then in a full-time capacity after (2:16)
- Whether Amy deciding to leave law and work for Oakland saw her receive any criticism from people who felt that a traditional law career would be the better path to success (5:12)
- The culture Al Davis built for the Raiders, and how different teams utilize different strategies based on what they believe to be the best way to build a winning organization (5:58)
- The importance of different opinions within an organization, and how Al Davis sought to create a team that relied on constructive disagreement to produce the optimal result (8:10)
- Organization structure in NFL front offices, and the advantages employed by the model Oakland featured (10:22)
- The type of diversity sought by Al Davis, and how building a culture that was inclusive based on qualification and production, rather than diversity for sake of appearances (12:31)
- The importance of a team’s finances in terms of cash flow, rather than simply salary cap accounting, and how the need to run a team as a business can impact decisions as far as personnel and contracts (17:39)
- Amy’s loyalty to the Raiders and how spending her whole career with one organization was the right move for her, while other people may be better suited for changing teams multiple times throughout their careers (20:01)
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Music Credits
Filligar, “Guilty Good Intentions“
Ronald Jenkees, “Disorganized Fun“