Lessons from LeBron

I’ve been digesting this for a few weeks now, since ESPN failed journalism on a historic level by airing “The Decision.”  As we know, The Decision has been made.  LeBron James left Cleveland to hang out with friends in Miami.  Dan Gilbert, the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers wasn’t thrilled.  He wrote a letter, featured in The Plain Dealer, Cleveland’s local newspaper, referring to LeBron as a “narcissist, coward, self-proclaimed ‘King’” and declared that Cleveland would win a championship before the “cursed” LeBron James would.  Strong words from an NBA owner.  Honestly, I am a fan of Gilbert’s letter.  People criticize him for it, but if Mark Cuban did it, people would be praising his passion in defending his team.  I want an owner that fights for my team.  That being said, Gilbert holds a significant share of the responsibility with the entire LeBron debacle.  He made a lot of mistakes along the way.  Mistakes that many organizations make as well.  Mistakes that we need to learn from.  Here are 4 lessons that organizations and leaders can learn from this mess:

1.  One man does not make a team (or company). Cleveland never won a championship in LeBron James’ seven years.  Only made it to the Finals once.  They had what was arguably the best player in the league (along with Kobe).  Zero championships.  For all the hoopla around how great LeBron is, he couldn’t make the team great.  Companies are the same way.  One stellar employee doesn’t make you a great company.  You cannot get from good to great without a team.  Grow your team, not just your star.

2.  Treat all employees the same. This may start some arguments.  Gilbert made a huge mistake when it came to LeBron.  He let LeBron pick his coach (Mike Brown), pick his teammates (Mo Williams, Shaq, etc), pick his itinerary.  He got his coach fired (Mike Brown).  LeBron’s friends got high-paying jobs in the organization (friends with no college degrees that had no business working for an NBA organization).  LeBron got anything and everything he wanted.  He was The King.  He was Cleveland’s own.  He was the best, so they gave him everything in order to satisfy him.  To keep him.   All for nothing.   All for a great player that delivered no rings.  And in pro sports, rings define success.  He got everything, the organization (and team) got nothing (exaggerating a bit here).  Treat your employees the same.  Superstar employees don’t deserve special treatment.  It breeds resentment, lack of trust, and ruins a team.  I’ve seen it happen.  Gilbert wouldn’t stand up to LeBron, and it cost him dearly.  Nobody is above the team.

3.  Have people that can tell you “no.” At some point, somebody had to tell Gilbert he was making a mistake in the way he dealt with LeBron.  It seems clear to me that the only person he would listen to was LeBron.  Anybody that wanted to stand up to LeBron, got fired (see: Mike Brown, Danny Ferry).  As a result, Gilbert not only lost his star player, but he lost a good coach and good GM.  Gilbert needed to have a “no-man.”  Every leader needs that person.  They might just be the most valuable person in an organization.

4.  Have a backup plan. LeBron left.  Cleveland is now left with a lineup that strikes fear into only a little league team.  LeBron hadn’t communicated with Gilbert or anybody in the Cleveland organization for several weeks.  They had to have known he was leaving.  Yet they had no backup plan.  They were one of the top teams in the league the past few years.  They now immediately go back to being a low-rung NBA team, regardless of how much passion Gilbert’s letter had.  Always have a plan in place.  Treat people as though they are irreplaceable, but have a plan to replace them, as harsh as that sounds (re-read number 1).

What would you add to this list?