18 Reasons Good Leaders Get Fired

Learning the lessons from this post may save your job.

On Friday, January 22nd David Blatt was fired as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  This came as a shocking move because the Cavs were in the NBA Finals last season and Blatt had a winning record of 83-40.  I mean, the goal of a NBA head coach is to win and Blatt won a lot…right?  So why was Blatt fired and what does it mean to all leaders?

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Dave McMenamin recently wrote an insightful article entitled “Long Time Coming: End Comes For David Blatt’s Bumpy Cavs Tenure”.  After reading their thoughts, I gleaned the following 18 Reasons Good Leaders Get Fired:

1. No One Respect Your Accomplishments – After Blatt’s first win last season, the team joyously mobbed their coach and presented him a game ball.  Kyrie Irving said, “That’s his first NBA win.  He deserves the game ball. It’s his first time in the NBA.”  Blatt angrily pointed out to the media, “Not all of you know me that well but I’ve probably won over 700 games in my career.”
2. You Have Not Cultivated A Relationship With Your Top Producer – By all accounts, star player LeBron James and Blatt never had a healthy relationship.  In fact, after his signing last seasons James showed no interest in meeting with Blatt.
3. You Are Not Doing The Job You Were Hired To Do – Blatt was hired to develop young talent and then team immediately assembled a veteran roster.  One team source said, “David was hired to coach a developmental team and young players who would’ve wanted to please him.  He ended up coaching a finished product where the players expected him to please them.”
4. Your Replacement Is Already On The Team – Tyronn Lue, who finished 2nd to Blatt for the Cavs head coaching spot, was then hired as Blatt’s assistant.  In addition, Lue’s contract was the highest ever given to an assistant coach.  This undercut Blatt’s influence from the very beginning.
5. You Lack Self-Awareness – Upon his hiring, Blatt mistakingly expected immediate respect from the team.  He said, “I’ve been a head coach for 22 years. People overlook that too easily and, I think, unfairly.  I am not now, nor have I have been for quite some time, a rookie coach.”
6. You Have Lost Influence With Your Influencers And They Are Implementing Their Own Ideas – At one point during the 2014-15 season, James moved away from Blatt’s offense and began running his own.  James said, “I can do it on my own.  I’m past those days where I have to ask.”
7. Your Influencers Are Now Being Influenced By Someone Else – After making those statements, it became clear James was now following Lue.
8. Your Team Is Insubordinate – The Cavs players were routinely heard complaining about Blatt to players of opposing teams.
9. You Do Not Hold Others Accountable – In an effort to create peace with James and other players, Blatt became far too lenient.  This year as a sign he had lost the team, several players were not working hard and then showed up late for games.
10. You Lack Public Support – When asked by the media to support Blatt, James said, “Listen, man, I don’t pay no bills around here.”
11. You Appear To Lack Fundamental Knowledge For The Job – In a critical Game 4 of their 2015 playoff series with the Chicago Bulls, Blatt called a timeout he did not have potentially costing the Cavs the game.
12. You Are Making Bad Decisions Which Hurt The Organization – It got worse for Blatt in Game .  He drew up a final play which had James taking the ball out rather than taking the final shot.  James immediately changed the play and made the game-winning shot. He said, “To be honest, the play that was drawn up, I scratched it.”
13. You Make Irrational Statements Causing You To Lose Credibility – After Game 4, Blatt shockingly said, “A basketball coach makes 150 to 200 critical decisions during the course of a game, something that I think is paralleled only by a fighter pilot.”
14. You Have Lost Trust – Heading into the Finals, the Cavs had decided injured center Anderson Varejao would not unavailable for duty.  However, Blatt shocked many in the organization by falsely telling the media regarding Varejao’s status, “Stranger things have happened in this world.”
15. People Must Compensate For You – James said, “I think every game is another learning experience for Coach Blatt.  There’s coaches with more tenure in our league, obviously, and there’s guys with a better résumé than he has. But one thing he tries to do is just put us in a position to win, and then it’s up to us.”
16. Your Team Is Performing Poorly And Missing Expectations – This year the Cavs have not only lost but been blown out by the Portland Trailblazers and Golden State Warriors
17. You Begin Making Excuses – “I hear a lot of far-reaching conclusions, and personally, I don’t like it,” Blatt said. “I think this team is in pretty good position, although people choose to overlook that, which I don’t think is fair.”
18. Morale Is Lost And Things Appear Hopeless – Even after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers, the Cavs general manager David Griffin lacked joy or excitement.  It was now time for a change.

A deeper look into Blatt’s dismissal shows his firing was no surprise at all.  If you see any of the 18 warning signs listed taking place on your team, mend fences and make the necessary leadership changes TODAY.  Otherwise, you too may become a good leader who gets fired.

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