Although they didn’t meet in the NBA Finals, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James had a different and unexpected conflict near the end of the season. Their contrasting responses to setbacks under pressure point to an important lesson about losing and leading that applies to the workplace.
Throughout this year’s NBA season, fans anticipated and the media hyped a potential Finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the teams with the best win-loss records at the end of the season. .
The matchup would pit the league’s two most recent MVPs and many would say the two best players in the world: Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
Sports shows featured analysis of the hypothetical matchup, and stories were published in newspapers and magazines. Even TV commercials highlighted the rivalry between the two stars. A strange and popular ad theme included the simulated adventures of Kobe and LeBron as puppets.
But the head-to-head contest between Kobe and LeBron for the championship didn’t happen. After winning every game in their first two rounds of the playoffs by at least ten points, the Cavaliers were upset by the Orlando Magic, who faced the Lakers for the championship.
The Lakers won overwhelmingly and Kobe was named the most valuable player of the finals. As for the anticipated performance challenge between Kobe and LeBron, it has to be said that this was Kobe’s year.
But when it comes to lessons in managing conflict and dealing with difficult people, there was a different, unplanned aspect to their rivalry that Kobe also won hands down.
It had to do with handling oneself with poise and responsibility in defeat. LeBron didn’t; Kobe did it.
When the Cavaliers lost their last game to the Magic, LeBron immediately walked off the court, never offering his opponents the professional courtesy of handshakes and congratulations. He declined to speak to the media, which is customary and contractually required for players like him, to help enrich the game experience for fans and understand how players and coaches think and feel. Especially since he is a team leader, he was a bad example to set, uninspiring and not to be emulated. For his actions, the league fined LeBron $25K, and he was criticized in the press.
Kobe has his detractors, too, and over the years he’s given them a few things to criticize, but not in this year’s playoffs. Kobe maintained his composition throughout the postseason, even when his team lost.
In fact, Kobe did more than just maintain a dignified bearing under pressure and in defeat. He took responsibility. When Orlando beat the Lakers in Game 3 of the Finals, Kobe took responsibility. He missed half of his free throws during the game and said that if he had played at the level expected of him, his team would have won that game.
One can apply to the workplace a lesson from this other Kobe vs. LeBron conflict. When competitions and disagreements don’t go your way at work, fierce emotions can shatter your self-control. Don’t let it happen. Remember the Kobe vs. LeBron pick in hand: Understandable frustration doesn’t have to lead to unprofessional behavior. Remember that, like Kobe in loss this year, an isolated “loss” in the workplace could even be an opportunity to lead.
