Benching Old Reliable

In the third season of the hit show “Friday Night Lights,” Dillon Panthers Coach Eric Taylor is forced to make a choice he dreads.

He has to bench his senior quarterback, Matt Saracen, who has led the team to a state title and been through just about every hardship imaginable, for stud freshman J.D. McCoy.

“J.D. is going to start on Friday,” Taylor tells Saracen after visiting him at his house. “I want you to know a lot went into making this decision.”

Taylor is pithy and unemotional, knowing his message is going to cut Saracen deeply but that it’s what’s necessary for the team.

The scene is a perfect snapshot into the unenviable position just about all of us as leaders will encounter at one point or another.

We have a team member we’ve forged a close bond with, someone who’s been with us through thick and thin, but he/she just isn’t the best option any longer.

When we face this scenario, it’s imperative that we do three things:

1. Be short and to the point with the person about our decision

2. Have facts and evidence to back up our choice

3. Sell to the person that the organization’s success is what’s ultimately most important

There is no easy way to demote someone, and to think that the person is going to eagerly embrace the new development is delusional. We may get a rebuttal, we may get guilt tripped, we may even get cursed out.

Honesty is hard, and getting people to understand the reality of a situation is even harder.

But ultimately, we’re in our leadership positions because we’re capable of making tough decisions and know what’s really best for our teams.

And what’s best in the long term is sometimes what’s most painful in the short.