Inside Halas Hall: Can Kevin Warren’s ambitious vision revive the Bears?
CHICAGO — Most of Kevin Warren’s weekday mornings this spring and summer began in similar fashion.
He would wake naturally, a few minutes before the 4:40 a.m. alarm on his iPhone went off. He’d say his prayers, wash his face, brush his teeth, swish some Listerine and then jump into his Bears sweatsuit.
Warren would be on the road by 5 to make the peaceful pre-sunrise commute from his Chicago Streeterville neighborhood residence to his new place of employment in Lake Forest, Ill.
After handling some “quiet time” and bible study in his office, he would relocate to the gym for an intense 60-minute workout — cardio, core, weights — then shower and dress for the most important orientation to his new job as president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Bears.
The interviews. With every employee in the organization.
Full-time. Part-time. One at a time, usually three or four per morning.
Thirty minutes apiece but never stacked on top of each other.
A to Z. Day after day.
Starting with his first official morning on the job April 17 — 8 a.m., Michelle Burke-McCaskey, manager of customer service in ticketing — and continuing through the end of the summer, Warren has set out to learn everything he can about the Bears organization from the people who know its inner workings best.
He wants to know what makes Halas Hall tick and what makes it sputter.
He wants to identify his most valuable leaders and find the organization’s hidden stars.
He wants input and feedback and ideas.
From Karen Murphy, the chief financial officer and senior vice president of business strategy. From Ian Cunningham, the assistant general manager. From Mike Santarelli, the executive director of football technology.
From Elycia Delgado in finance and Allen Silva in IT and Joann Kowalski in marketing. From events coordinator Meghan Clancy and graphic designer Mat Stewart and mascot coordinator Scott Adams.
“If I take just one important nugget from all 260-plus employees, think of the gains we can make,” Warren said.
He conducted a similar process when he was promoted to chief operating officer of the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 and again when he assumed his post as Big Ten commissioner-elect in fall 2019.
”This is not a tattle-tale session,” Warren said. “This is not complaining about what somebody does or doesn’t do. I’m just looking for information. And really, I’m looking for the information through an employee’s eyes.”
The Bears will report to training camp Tuesday, their first under Warren’s watch, at a pivotal time in the organization’s 103-year history. On the front burner are the team’s future stadium plans as the Bears consider their options on the 326-acre property in Arlington Heights they now own while still exploring alternatives.
On the football field, meanwhile, the team is looking to rebound from a 2022 season in which it lost a franchise-record 14 games, ended the year with a franchise-worst 10-game losing streak and extended its playoff victory drought to 12 seasons.
Combine those two objectives alone and Warren’s big-picture duties are daunting, requiring substantial time and patience. But those challenges excite Warren more than they ever wear him down.
“I always want to have something where, when you get out of the bed in the morning, you say, ‘There is too much to do,’ ” he said. “Because what I’ve learned in my life, that’s when I know I’m in my sweet spot.”
For those who believe the Bears’ sustained mediocrity over the past 30 years has been systemic and a byproduct of negligent leadership, the next half-decade or so should be fascinating with Warren replacing Ted Phillips as president and CEO.
This will be a grand experiment in the potential impact of top-down management. Will Warren’s leadership infuse energy into Halas Hall, creating noteworthy business opportunities and elevating the standard for what’s expected daily? Can Warren aid general manager Ryan Poles in constructing a winning roster and molding a football culture that produces a sustained run of success?
Will the Bears head into the 2030s playing in a team-owned, world-class stadium that resets the standard for the sports entertainment experience? Perhaps most importantly, can a new team president push enough buttons to have a significant impact on on-field results?
Warren believes that championship runs and high-level achievement within a cutthroat professional sports league
