Ducks in a Row: Spread the Wealth Pro and Con
by Miki Saxon
I’m not really a sports fan, but I read the NYT and occasionally an article that focuses on the human side as opposed to the play intrigues me. That’s how I ended up reading about Jeremy Lin and using him as an example of how easily bosses miss their real star talent.
In mid-March another Knicks story caught my eye.
[Coach] Mike D’Antoni and the Knicks parted ways Wednesday — an event that seemed fated once the franchise acquired Carmelo Anthony, an immense talent whose individual playing style clashed with D’Antoni’s spread-the-wealth offense.
At first glance you might not think this is applicable to business; obviously, no boss is going to quit when an employee disagrees with the culture, no matter how good he is.
In fact, it’s much more likely that the boss will laud him and shower him with whatever perks, bonuses, promotions and raises possible.
Anything to keep him happy; anything to keep him, period.
Not all star players have star egos; from the little I’ve read Lin is the former, while Anthony follows a more typical star profile with the ego to match.
So what really happens when a culture starts focusing on star egos?
The most obvious problem is the deep doodoo you are in if your star ego is injured or leaves.
The more subtle crisis takes place quietly over time as all the potential star players leave for more spread-the-wealth cultures and bosses who will give them a chance to shine.
Flickr image credit: Joshua Smith
