Effects of Indecisiveness - The Dwight Howard Example

Courtesy of ESPN...D12...

In today's changing economy, it is good to have options for employment.  In fact, having options speaks volumes about how valuable your skills are to an organization.  It is even more optimal when contracts are expiring or performance evaluation time is approaching. But there must be a mutual balance of respect for the existing employer and the potential future ones as it can wear and tear on the organizations and their respective teams.

The same holds true for athletes entering free agency. Take for instant, Dwight Howard, a very talented NBA center. I will stay away from the topic of why the Lakers looked over his whiny faults and saw their needs but duly noted. While with the Orlando Magic in his last three seasons, he caused quite a stir by eluding to wanting to be traded, claiming to remain loyal to the Magic with his single year deal, single handedly alienating coach Van Gundy and teammates, and being unavailable due to back injury in the playoffs and exiting to Los Angeles for surgery and eventually employment by the Lakers. 

The Magic built a team around him and they made it to the finals in 2009 but lost to the Lakers.  The organization continually made concessions to accommodate a person who truly had no loyalty or desire to remain a part of their brand. But the biggest impact of his indecisiveness was to all the organizations vying for him to commit. Sure, courting a big-time player can be costly with all the meetings because that is the price of doing business.  However the strategic decisions to build a team around a franchise player could cost future draft picks, losses of existing valuable players, and strained relationships with coaches and remaining players unnecessarily.  This seemingly makes Howard somewhat a liability rather than an asset. The continual behavior of wanting to exit a situation or vocalizing the desire for change can also make very interested organizations become disinterested. After all, who needs all the drama?

I am all for weighing the options and determining what is best financially, long-term, and family lifestyle but it is not what you evaluate, it is how you go about it.  While you are not Dwight Howard, it is easy to enter free agency mindset when a contract is expiring or employment is nearing termination. But be smart by not publicly expressing dismay, overemphasizing a really non-existent loyalty, dangling a carrot in the new organization's face, or denigrating others as a ploy to remain.  In short, leave on a high note so you can always return as a drama free professional asset.

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Posted in: contract,Dwight Howard,free agency,Hiring,HR,Indecisiveness,nba,Orlando Magic,Temeko Richardson,whiner