Office Hours: LA Rams’ Kevin Demoff on How Communication Is Key—In Football and Business
Spencer Rascoff serves as executive chairman of dot.LA. He is an entrepreneur and company leader who co-founded Zillow, Hotwire, dot.LA, Pacaso and Supernova, and who served as Zillow's CEO for a decade. During Spencer's time as CEO, Zillow won dozens of "best places to work" awards as it grew to over 4,500 employees, $3 billion in revenue, and $10 billion in market capitalization. Prior to Zillow, Spencer co-founded and was VP Corporate Development of Hotwire, which was sold to Expedia for $685 million in 2003. Through his startup studio and venture capital firm, 75 & Sunny, Spencer is an active angel investor in over 100 companies and is incubating several more.
Great leadership knows no bounds–especially in L.A. This city is packed with innovative and engaging leaders spanning different markets and industries, including professional football.
As the city and its football fans celebrate the L.A. Rams’ spot in Super Bowl LVI, I was reminded of an episode I recorded for the Office Hours podcast back in 2017. In it, I sat down with Rams COO Kevin Demoff, who at the time was juggling substantial disruptions both on and off the field.
Kevin’s full plate included a franchise still settling back into the West Coast after 20 years in St. Louis, as well as the construction and development of SoFi Stadium, the Rams’ state-of-the-art new home. Then, there was the firing of Jeff Fischer, a respected and experienced NFL coach, and the controversial hiring of his replacement: 30-year-old Sean McVay, the youngest head coach in NFL history.
The last five years are proof of Kevin’s decision-making skills. McVay has led the Rams to their second Super Bowl since returning to L.A. in 2015, with the added bonus this year of potentially winning the Lombardi Trophy in their now-completed home stadium. Yes, the Rams are a great football organization—but it’s the business organization, helmed by leaders like Kevin, which supports and enables that.
And from a business perspective, so much of what Kevin and I discussed back in 2017 still rings true. In business and in football, communication is key. Leaders need to communicate clearly to infuse confidence in their team, and also listen to others—including fans and customers—to assess, adapt and pivot when something is not working. When the tough decision to replace Jeff Fischer was made, it was done so because that’s what the team needed to succeed.
Luckily the Rams—from the players, to the admin team, to the fans—still have Kevin Demoff on board. With his clear communication and ability to listen when it comes to making decisions, I’m confident this won’t be the last time we make it to the Super Bowl.
Take a listen to the 2017 episode here and read more about the interview on Medium.com.
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Spencer Rascoff serves as executive chairman of dot.LA. He is an entrepreneur and company leader who co-founded Zillow, Hotwire, dot.LA, Pacaso and Supernova, and who served as Zillow's CEO for a decade. During Spencer's time as CEO, Zillow won dozens of "best places to work" awards as it grew to over 4,500 employees, $3 billion in revenue, and $10 billion in market capitalization. Prior to Zillow, Spencer co-founded and was VP Corporate Development of Hotwire, which was sold to Expedia for $685 million in 2003. Through his startup studio and venture capital firm, 75 & Sunny, Spencer is an active angel investor in over 100 companies and is incubating several more.
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