Kobe Bryant and Ruthless Employees - Competitive or Toxic?

And so it goes...Kobe Bryant is in the Finals...

Think about the employees you know who would run over you with a truck to make their quarterly bonus... Some (many) would say that's Kobe in the NBA.  Isn't it funny how ruthless employees get classified as "competitive" when the organization is winning?

For those of you who don't follow basketball, there's a corporate lesson (or at least a question) in this post.  Kobe Bryant's widely regarded as the best player currently in pro hoops (he plays for the Los Angeles Lakers).  He's also regarded as one of the most selfish and ruthless players ever in professional sports.

Here's the track record:  From high school directly to the NBA, where he was ultimately paired with Shaquille O'Neal.  That tandem won three NBA titles, until Kobe forced a trade that sent Shaq packing because he didn't want to share the spotlight.  Enter a dark period of average performance for the Lakers.

What kind of employee/teammate was Kobe when things weren't going so well, especially since he caused most of it by forcing the trade?  Um, not so good.  He routinely ranted and demanded trades, claiming there wasn't enough talent around him.  He even got caught on tape telling some Orange County kids that the Lakers should "trade his a**", a reference to a young teammate (Andrew Bynum) Kobe didn't have any use for.

This just in - the mentoring program for the Lakers doesn't include Kobe as a mentor.  He can't tolerate all those average "proteges"...

Great article in Sports Illustrated focusing on the walking contradiction that is Kobe:

"Idan Ravin, a personal trainer who works with Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Gilbert Arenas and Elton Brand and is known by some in the league as "the hoops whisperer" for his effect on players, has even broken killer instinct down into components: love of the game, ambition, obsessive-compulsive behavior, arrogance/ confidence, selfishness and nonculpability/ guiltlessness. He sees them all in Bryant.

"If he's a ruthless s.o.b., I kind of respect that," says Ravin. "Why should he be passing up opportunities? Why pass it to a guy who doesn't work as hard, who doesn't want it like you do?"

Even now, every little challenge matters to Bryant. Here he is at the end of a practice last week. Each Laker has to take a free throw. Everybody hits his except Bryant, who rims one out. The only shooter left is Derek Fisher, who shot 88.3% from the line this season. Bryant stands to the side of the basket, fidgeting. As Fisher's shot arcs toward the rim, Bryant suddenly takes two quick steps and leaps to goaltend the attempt. "Of course," forward Lamar Odom says later, "he couldn't be the only one to miss."

I bolded the traits listed above to describe Bryant that could be seen as contributing to the profile of a ruthless employee.  Nice mix, except now that the Lakers are on the cusp of another title, we're supposed to see him as a leader.  I can't wait to see all the halftime profiles of how he's mentored the young lakers after demanding one of them be traded via a teen's camera phone.

Which is where it gets complex.  Don't leaders shut their mouths and accept accountability when times are bad?   How does your organization handle great talent that has all the markers of ruthlessness?  Do they tolerate it when times are good?  Do they tolerate it when times are bad?  Does everyone forget about it as long as the cash flow is strong?

Interesting how sports mimic work most of the time.  And vice versa.

Have you hugged the Kobe in your workplace today?  Don't bother.  When you miss the numbers one month (regardless of the previous 12), he'll be calling for a replacement whether you hug it out or not... 

Comments

[John Hollon]

Very timely item on Kobe, and some good points made.

My only quibble would be the flat notion that Kobe forced the Lakers to trade Shaq. It is more complicated than that. Yes, Kobe wanted to be the Man and not live in Shaq's shadow, but Jerry Buss had grown disenchanted with Shaq's perpetual weight problem. It was hurting his play, causing him to be injured more often, and he wouldn't listen to Phil Jackson's counsel about losing weight.

There was a memorable incident in a pre-season game in Honolulu before Shaq's last season where he screamed "pay me!!!" at Jerry Buss (who was sitting at court side). Shaq wanted the Lakers to extend him for the maximum number of years and dollars, and the Lakers were hesitant if he wasn't serious about staying in shape.

So, Kobe's want to be the Man played into the Lakers' thinking that they couldn't afford them both and that they should keep the younger, healthier, Kobe Bryant. Shaq gets traded to Miami, promptly loses 35 pounds and gets in shape, and wins a championship. Phil Jackson says later that if Shaq had done that in LA (get in shape), he would never have been traded.

This doesn't negate your point, of course, but just shows that things with Kobe, and Shaq, and the Lakers, were really complicated. And, I'm not sure the Lakers did the wrong thing. In a larger sense, it shows that people issues are usually more complicated than they appear on the surface...

[Jessica Lee]

cool post. i like. a few thoughts - and this is coming from a non-fan who doesn't watch basketball...

1) for kobe, poor thing, he's got the spotlight of media on him too which even further complicates things. who's to know what the truth really is.

2) what does this situation say about phil as a coach and mitch as a GM? as a leader, isn't your team's (and your superstar) performance, antics' and shenanigans just a reflection of your leadership skills and abilities?

3) i would be curious what the turnover and retention rates are like for those who have played with kobe - because surely a team can't survive if the shenanigans are truly that bad. who wants to play with an all-star who's that big of an an arse? regardless of whether the separations were voluntary or involuntary, i'd be curious as to what the numbers look like. sure, they've got contracts in place which make the analysis a bit harder... but i think if we dug deeper, we could assess this situation out. maybe the NBA could use an exit interview process so we could do some trending. sign me up. i'll take that job!

[Michael Homula]

Great stuff KD. You ask a few questions rhetorically that I am going to brazenly answer out loud.

"Don't leaders shut their mouths and accept accountability when times are bad?" - Yes, they do. Great leaders are VERY few and far between and in the pay me, ego driven, self-centered world of modern day professional sports there are even fewer leaders. Kobe can lead with his results but nothing else. In the end he may win more NBA titles than Michael Jordan or Larry Bird or Magic Johnson but his behavior clearly demonstrates he couldn't clearn their leadership jock straps. Nasty image I know!

"How does your organization handle great talent that has all the markers of ruthlessness? Do they tolerate it when times are good? Do they tolerate it when times are bad? Does everyone forget about it as long as the cash flow is strong?" - Yes, No and Yes are the answers to that. My experience tells me that organizations and teams put up with this behavior when things are good and then want to dump the great talent with the markers of ruthlesness when times are bad. I have seen, and I am sure you have too, when the corporate equivalent of Kobe is constantly pointed to as a great success, asked to mentor junior level talent and given all the accolades under the best conditions. When things get tough though no one wants to put up them them anymore. It isn't fun and the nerve endings are exposed so it is time to point the finger at the ruthless one.

Great post...have a great weekend everyone, especially the FOT crew!