It is safe to say that there will never be a professional athlete quite like the audacious, impetuous, unpredictable and talented NBA Hall of Famer, Dennis Keith Rodman.
Born in 1961 in the capital city of Trenton, NJ (shout-out to Mercer County for developing me as a youth), a young Dennis was largely raised in a single-mother household with his sisters; his mother held up to 4 jobs at one time to support the family. Eventually, the family moved and settled into a highly-impoverished and low socio-economic neighborhood of Dallas, Texas. As Rodman was growing into a young man, he often reflected on the paralyzing feeling of being raised in an all-female household, especially because his sisters were lauded as standout basketball players in the state. The Dennis Rodman that fans know well today as “The Worm” (a playful name given to him from his mother as a result of his wiggling while playing pinball), he was not the tall, sinewy defensive extraordinaire that he eventually evolved into. Instead, he was a short, non-athletic sibling that was often ignored in sports and as a child.
After graduating high school, the then-reserved Dennis Rodman experienced a substantial growth spurt as the young man sprouted from 5’11” to 6’7” while working as a janitor. His physical growth facilitated his arrival to the hardwood where Rodman would become a collegiate standout and NBA prospect after an MVP-showing at the pre-draft Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. The skillful Rodman became a 2-time champion and best wing defender in the league with the Detroit Pistons before his position shift to power forward as a 3-time champion with the historic Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls.
The once lone wolf without a purpose eventually found his way to become a 2x NBA Defensive Player of the Year, a 5-time NBA Champion, a 7x All-NBA Defensive First Team performer, a 7x NBA rebounding champion and one of 150+ basketball players inducted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
And the rest is history… Well, not quite. There is A LOT that happened in-between these accolades!
Are you wondering what I am talking about? Well, wait no further — let me take some time to run down his list of grievances as an employee for several NBA teams, according to Newson6.
Oct. 9, 1992 — Misses opening of Detroit Pistons’ training camp, saying his pending divorce and the departure of coach Chuck Daly has sapped his desire to play basketball. Rodman misses all of camp.
Feb. 11, 1993 — Police are notified after Rodman leaves a friend’s house with a gun. He is later found asleep in his truck at The Palace at Auburn Hills, where he was shooting baskets.
Nov. 2, 1994 — Suspended indefinitely by Spurs for throwing a bag of ice toward coach Bob Hill and an official after receiving his second technical in an exhibition game.
May 14, 1995 — Benched during Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals for arguing with coach Hill and refusing to join team huddles.
March 18, 1996 — Suspended for six games and fined $20,000 for head-butting a referee following his ejection from a game against New Jersey.
Jan. 17, 1997 — Suspended by NBA indefinitely, but for at least 11 games, and fined $25,000 for kicking a courtside television photographer during a game at Minnesota.
June 3, 1998 — Flew to Las Vegas for [a] night of gambling that stretched into the morning after [the] Bulls lost Game 1 of the NBA Finals to Utah.
April 15, 1999 — Rodman, late for practice again, says he couldn’t find shoes and socks. [The] Lakers announce the decision to release him.
Feb. 16, 2000 — Suspended for one game and fined $10,000, a day after being ejected from a game and later saying he wanted to duke it out with [Commissioner] David Stern.
Sadly, the above list is just an abbreviated version of team and league violations that were committed by Rodman over this 14-year career with 5 NBA teams. Yes, 5 different teams for a player who is widely regarded as, arguably, the pound-for-pound G.O.A.T. as a defensive specialist (at two positions) as well as a raging rebounder with a relentless motor.
Rodman, an unique and specialized top talent, was undoubtedly difficult to manage and develop as both a person and a player. His track record spoke for itself. Yet, teams vigorously vied for his services as he was known as a championship player that elevated team performance (when engaged). Notice the keyword “engaged” in the previous section. How did NBA teams try to give Rodman the best environment to thrive as a person and a player? Let’s look at some lessons learned when analyzing how to handle your Rodman in the workplace.
The Right Leadership and Workplace Culture Needs to be in Place
There were several reasons why the Detroit Pistons were an ideal landing spot for Rodman as a rookie. As aforementioned, Rodman endured a challenging upbringing where his father was absent from the household. However, he found a father figure in Coach Daly who recognized his strengths and allowed him to express himself on the court within the “Bad Boy” team philosophy. In addition, he found a structure that was able to accept him for who he was while “normalizing” the mammoth transition of a teenaged overnight janitor to a valuable NBA player on a championship-level team. Lastly, the veteran leadership and brotherhood on this Pistons team helped mask some of his childhood vulnerabilities and trauma — enough for him to concentrate on developing his on-court skills (as he went on to win back-to-back NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards).
The critical thing to recall is that his inadequate childhood development was largely shielded as Rodman enjoyed individual and team success at the highest levels. Strong team leadership, a family environment, a team philosophy that fit his attitude and an organizational culture that boosted his self-esteem and self-efficacy helped him grow immensely as a professional. However, he was not ready for the business side and the boom-and-bust cycle of NBA life — the team was getting older, losing became more of a regularity, media attention from back-to-back championships placed a bright media spotlight on the team and his beloved coach, Chuck Daly, was eventually fired by the team. Some would argue that this event was the turning point that would initiate the downward spiral and colorful, unforgettable character that he eventually became. He further regressed in morale, self-esteem and self-determination when his NBA family structure collapsed as police found him with a gun one night while he was asleep in his vehicle. Subsequently, he was traded months later to the San Antonio Spurs for a bag of peanuts and a Snickers bar (or so it seemed).
After a predominately unsuccessful stint as a Spur, Dennis would find his way to another dynamic and powerful workplace culture and leadership structure when he was traded for a Chicago Bulls player (Will Purdue) that was nowhere near his equal. Nevertheless, the franchise, led by coach Phil Jackson and the productive duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, landed a transcendent rebounder and defensive sage. The shy, coachable Rodman that started out in Detroit was no longer this person towards the end of his tenure with the Pistons. In fact, flashes of his erratic behavior on and off the court became a norm in his next stop after Detroit, San Antonio.
Thus, upon acquiring him in a trade, the Bulls had a plan (even though his addition was not unanimously accepted). Jackson, known as a student of Zen philosophy, felt very strongly about his players buying into the team concept and evaluating how his individual talent moved synergistically inside a team-oriented system. The “Zen Master” was also big on showing compassion to his players; he worked hard to break down any barriers of communication and connection to make sure all players felt and played as active members of the team. Everyone had a voice and all players were empowered to maximize their role because every player was an important function of the team. Moreover, and perhaps most applicable for Rodman, Jackson believed in sometimes being still in the face of adversity with the notion that not all problems have to be solved right away.
Phil Jackson spoke candidly on his coaching approach with the wildcard Rodman within the team concept. According to Tim Daniels, “I have diagnosed him and I know he has a real problem with attention,” Jackson told Telander. “I had 26 hours of graduate study in psychology and I know what I know. The harder you discipline him, the worse it gets. You just alienate a guy who has alienation problems already. What you have to have is patience. You have to accept him and say, ‘Give me the best that you’ve got.” Even though Rodman experienced a number of bizarre and head-scratching moments on and off the court, Jackson did just that — he exhibited a great deal of patience and leaned on his Zen and leadership principles to manage the team and his players appropriately.
Talent Can Only Take You So Far
The best organizations and leaders know that a critical ingredient to the recipe of competitive advantage is the recruitment, selection, development, retention and succession of talent. Having the right talent to oversee processes, procedures and systems can help any company improve on business results, progress and performance. Strategic talent management ensures that a company has a brand that is attractive enough to other talent so key positions like specialized roles and leadership posts are adequately covered. Additionally, acquiring a talented workforce will keep employees engaged and motivated to exceed goals; this ambition results in improved customer and stakeholder satisfaction.
Still, talent only takes you so far. There are more components within the leadership approach and company culture that can only help reduce the threat of lost, underutilized or wasted talent. For example, for an employer to hire and develop resources into an accomplished “Rodman” employee, the talent acquisition team must know the imaginary line that the organization will accept and tolerate in order to acclimate such an exclusive, albeit unreliable professional to the team. You get what you can extract from this player before the patience wears thin and prior to the distractions outweighing the individual expertise and team performance. For an uncommon Rodman-like employee, the danger of losing money and being penalized for conduct detrimental to the organization does not always deter a professional from consistently making bad decisions. Thus, hiring an employee like this invites inherent risk, but the person must be genuinely accepted and the environment must be cultivated to stimulate conditions of success. All parameters cannot be absolutely controlled and managed, but extending compassion and modeling how everyone has a voice and a contributing role will help elevate “oneness” and facilitate positive responses to diversity as a team.
As Phil Jackson has stated in his book on tribal leadership, removing ego for the advancement of the team is the highest compliment of team evolution. Once reaching this level, even the outlier, the lone wolf, the weirdo and the selfish person can eventually find a home within this mindstate (as evidenced by Rodman’s back-to-back-to-back championships with the Bulls). According to Jonathan Choi, Jackson’s final stage of magic is rarely reached, but it is about “‘life is great.’ This highly evolved team removes ego from the equation, having no need to compete against other teams. Stage 5 teams strive solely to carve out their own path of greatness. They work solely for the “innocent wonderment” of discovery and accomplishment. Stage 5 members are focused on helping each other and playing unselfishly as a team to achieve their mission.”
There are genuine lessons to be learned about getting the best out of an employee who doesn’t seem like the best fit for your organization. The leader of the tribe sets the tone for how the team members will either receive or denounce the new hire. And it is up to the leadership and the team to work at the highest level — together. Phil Jackson certainly had a long-lasting impact on Rodman as he requested for his former coach to introduce him for his Hall of Fame induction. An evolved Dennis made sure to show his appreciation and love for The Zen Master because, as the course of his life suggested, he was always looking for a home where he would be accepted for his true self. When this happened, he was able to perform his craft at the ultimate level.
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