Consulting with those who are most affected during a crisis…. “I REACHED OUT.”
Our country is in unprecedented territory. When any group is in unchartered waters, it looks for leadership. So please pay attention to the three words I italicized in the quote below. In my opinion, those three words are proof of leadership exhibited by Mark Cuban, the owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.
“I reached out (author’s italics) to the folks at the arena and our folks at the Mavs to find out what it would cost to support, financially support, people who aren’t going to be able to come to work.” (full article here)
Cuban had choices. Close the arena. Tell the concession workers that the problem will go away…just wait it out. Take a vacation. There were more choices, of course, but he picked none of those options. Instead, he stepped up humanely and in a big way, too. He will pay wages of people who clean the bathrooms at the arena and all the other hourly workers who can’t work because the arena is closed.
He went on to say that he doesn’t know exactly how his plan will work, but that he was committed to “financially support” the workers who depend on an hourly wage. He mentioned that some type of community service may be required in exchange. No matter. Cuban is doing something positive. He’s showing leadership.
In doing so, he’s demonstrating that he understands and appreciates the contributions made by these workers. And, I surmise, too, that in doing so he will create a lot of what academics call ‘social capital’ in the process. If so, the benefits he’ll gain will outstrip whatever costs he’ll bear financially.
As a boy growing up in a cotton mill town during the ’50s, I remember how Mr. Charles Cannon dealt with a slowdown in Plant 1. His approach was clear and simple: everybody worked. While shifts may have been reduced to just three days, everybody worked those days. That gave all of us a huge sense of belonging–to our community, our ‘tribe’–because of the safety net it provided.
That is what Mr. Cuban is creating with his compassion: a loyal tribe that will support and follow him. He’s a leader.
