Merge

Minus the childish and narcissistic one hour special, we all would've made the decision James did Thursday night. (Aside: if he says he is staying in Cleveland, LeBron James is a saint
for saving a town and giving about 2.5 mil to the Boys and Girls Club)  Abandon a company you built, leave your hometown? Yep.  And here's why.

Let's put this in a perspective in which we can all relate.  LeBron is halfway through his career and is the most important player in his organization.  Essentially this makes him 45 years old or so in business years, and the top producer in his company.  He's not the president or even the COO, but the company doesn't go without him.  That said, the company took off and then peaked about four years ago, and given the staff on hand, doesn't look like things will improve drastically in the next few years.  Then an opportunity presents itself.  Another company has a position for him, but this time with staff who can help can carry the load and make him more successful than he's ever been.  The early return is no different than with his current company, meaning his salary in the first year or two is no different.  But two to three years down the road, with his new supporting cast, the business has the potential to take off.  He eyes the opportunity to reach his ultimate goal and takes it. 

Given this point of view, I can't blame James for his decision.  We can ridicule him for how he handled it, but that's another blog (as is Chris Bosh = Horace Grant and nothing more, minus the goggles). 

Bottom Line:  The opportunity to work with great people presents itself very rarely, take advantage of it when it does.