5 Business Lessons I Learned from the LeBron James Collapse

By Paul Roetzer | Posted Jun 10, 2010 | 4 Comment(s) | Filed in: Business

The stage was set. Following back-to-back MVP seasons, LeBron James was poised to solidify his place as the greatest basketball player, and probably athlete, on Earth, laying the foundation for his legacy as the greatest of all time.

After a lackluster Game 2 in the 2010 NBA Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics that can best be described as “out of character,” James returned to MVP form in Game 3 with a scintillating performance, scoring 21 of his 38 points in the first quarter.

He seemed to be the man on a mission we all expected, but then something inexplicable happened — he quit. For the first time in his illustrious career, LeBron’s uninspired performances in Games 5 and 6 left analysts and fans questioning the King’s heart and will to win, and speculating on what happened.

All the rumors and injuries aside, the best player in the game didn’t show up for his team when they needed him most. And the most amazing part was that he didn’t seem to care.

While it might have been destroying him inside, perception is reality. To this day his persona is that of someone completely unphased by the collapse, and more concerned with his next contract and ultimate goal of becoming a global icon.

The competitive fire that burned inside of him after seven years of hearing that he didn’t have Kobe Byrant’s killer instinct, or Michael Jordan’s drive, just appeared to go out.

So instead of preparing for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, and securing his first ring, James is watching Kobe, again the consensus best player in the game (based on Playoff performances and championships), take on the aging Celtics, a team that had no right beating the Cavs (or the Orlando Magic for that matter), but that just plain wanted it more.

At the end of the day, it’s irrelevant where he signs in free agency, or how many more games and MVPs he wins. Until James hoists the NBA Championship trophy, his legacy is on hold due to one awful series.

The Moral of the Story for Businesses

Now mind you I’m a die-hard Cavs fans, and still firmly believe when it’s all said and done that LeBron will win multiple titles and go down in history as the greatest player of all time. But for now, I wait, like all Cleveland fans, and hope he returns next year to finish what he started.

In the meantime, I find myself analyzing LeBron and the Cavs as it relates to business. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

1) Leaders Must Lead

LeBron could dominate every game, win every scoring title, and probably even average a career triple-double. Instead he does what leaders often do: he delegates and builds his team’s confidence and morale by involving them and giving them opportunities to excel and achieve.

However, there comes a time when leaders must lead in a different way. They are obligated to take their game to a whole new level, and pull everyone along with them.

Their passion, drive and refusal to lose must shine through. Think LeBron in Game 5 of the 2007 Conference Finals — 48 points, including 29 of his team’s last 30. That’s the LeBron the Cavs needed against the Celtics, and the leader every organization needs when it’s all on the line.

2) All That Matters is Today

Back-to-back MVPs, and back-to-back regular season best records meant nothing. Being the odds-on favorite to win going into the 2010 Playoffs meant nothing. Thousands of hours of practice, game films and training meant nothing in the end.

The only thing that matters is that the Cavs lost. They got outcoached and outplayed by a team they probably underestimated. They got complacent.

Business is full of industry leaders and pioneers that have become irrelevant because they failed to stay ahead of the pack. Maybe it’s due to poor leadership, or a lack of will and vision, but history tells us to focus on today, and be bold and decisive in your actions.

3) Control What You Can

The Cavs were doomed to fail because they made a simple, yet fatal, mistake . . . they let their older, slower competition dictate their game plan.

The Cavs were the better team, with the best player on the planet, and yet they made desperate substitutions and dramatic changes to their schemes, when all they had to do was focus on what they could control.

This happens in business all the time. Instead of concentrating on innovating, creating markets and generating demand, leaders have progress paralysis because they spend too much time and energy on competitive monitoring and market research, opting for the conservative and familiar approach. Or, they make irrational decisions to change strategies based on outside factors.

Focus on what you do well and control what you can. The rest is just noise.

4) Great Teams Finish First

I don’t buy into the argument that the Cavs didn’t have enough talent to win, but I do believe they lacked the necessary “A Players” to step up when LeBron couldn’t deliver.

The Celtics didn’t have a single player close to LeBron’s caliber, but the Cavs got beat by a great team, with a strong contingent of highly skilled players willing to take the big shots, and fight through adversity to win.

The lesson? Great leaders need great teams to succeed. To borrow a passage from one of my favorite business books, Topgrading:

"Proactively seeking out and employing the most talented people can have a multiplier effect on the creation of other competitive advantages. High performers—the A players—contribute more, innovate more, work smarter, earn more trust, display more resourcefulness, take more initiative, develop better business strategies, articulate their vision more passionately, implement change more effectively, deliver higher-quality work, demonstrate greater teamwork, and find ways to get the job done in less time with less cost."

5) You Can Rise Again

As we have learned from Steve Jobs’ epic return to the top of the business world, with enough time, commitment and vision, even when all hope seems lost, leaders can rise again, and the truly great ones always do.

For Cleveland’s sake, I hope LeBron makes it to the pinnacle here, and demonstrates his leadership and greatness as a Cavalier for years to come.

Conclusion

I’m continually fascinated by how business mirrors sports. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, and other sports parallels.

Thanks for reading.

Paul Roetzer is founder and president of PR 20/20, a Cleveland-based inbound marketing agency and PR firm. He can be found on Twitter @PaulRoetzer

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