Lessons Learned from Lebron

I, like many people, am glad that the whole Lebron James “where will he go” episode is over. He’s moved on, time for all of us to do the same.

But I came across the letter to the Cleveland Cavalier fans written by Dan Gilbert, majority owner of the club , and saw the classic mistake often made in customer (in this case, “fans”) experience:

Don’t over-promise and under-deliver!

In his open letter to the fans and public at large, Gilbert states "I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE" (the all-caps are his, not mine).

I’m sure he had the best intentions given how the Cleveland fan base must have felt after the announcement. But in the end, he’s done a disservice to those fans by falsely setting an expectation that’s not even remotely achievable. I mean seriously, you just lost one of the best basketball players on the planet, all of the other premier free agents have been snatched up by other teams, and you’re going to win a championship next year how?

There’s a simple lesson to be learned here:

Be honest in the assessment of the situation. Whether it’s the state of your NBA franchise or the technical support issue you’re trying to resolve for the customer, given an honest assessment of what the problem is, how it will eventually be resolved, when it realistically will be resolved, and what you personally will do to make that happen.

Hey Dan, try this on for size!

“To our loyal Cleveland Cavalier fan base,

We are all disappointed in the choice Lebron James has made to leave our team and join the Miami Heat. Lebron has brought much excitement to our franchise and we had hoped he would remain here and bring a championship to our great city.

While we are all heartbroken by his decision, we should begin focusing on the new road ahead of us. Yes, Lebron’s departure leaves a significant hole in our team. But let’s remember that the core group supporting him is still in place as the foundation of an already great team.

We may never replace the talent Lebron brought to our team, but the money freed up with his departure will go a long way toward bringing in fresh new talent. Young, raw recruits primed to become the future stars of the league mixed with seasoned veterans capable of making an immediate impact are how we will continue to build this franchise.

Will we bring home a championship? Eventually, yes we will. Will it happen next year? I wish it were so but we need to be realistic in our timelines. Great teams often take to time to gel. Our goal now is to continue the level of greatness our proud franchise has achieved. With the right talent in place, we will continue to position ourselves every season to enter the playoffs as a strong contender for an NBA title and one day deliver to you, the best fans in the entire NBA, a league championship!”


Good luck dealing with the Cleveland fans next year Dan!