The Lessons of the Ben Simmons Saga

In leadership, the plan rarely goes as expected. Situations abruptly change, testing our resolve, our commitment and our dedication to our craft.

But these trying times reveal more about our team’s personality and character than do the fleeting moments of success.

Take Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers.

He’s been unhappy with his recent tenure, feeling he has been unfairly maligned and scapegoated by his teammates for major playoff disappointment.

Simmons is uniquely talented and could be one of the best players in the NBA. But he’s never committed to addressing the glaring weakness of his game: his jump shot. Ultimately, it’s caused a serious rift between himself, the organization and a rabid fanbase.

After his disappointing 2021 postseason, he demanded a trade — which the 76ers would have been more than happy to accommodate if they got equal value for him in return. But when they couldn’t find a suitable partner, Simmons was forced to return to Philadelphia to try to repair his career.

At Monday’s practice, he was caught with his cell phone in his pocket. It was a bad look for him and, maybe more importantly, the organization.

Why?

Because as leaders, we’re either coaching it or allowing it to happen, and on that day, the 76ers allowed it to happen.

On Tuesday, Coach Doc Rivers pivoted. He threw Simmons out of practice for what were reportedly repeated instances of minimal effort, then suspended him for the team’s season-opening game tonight.

Rivers had no choice. The longer he permitted this insubordination, the faster his control over the rest of his team would’ve slipped. He conveyed to his players and staff that this was not the standard and that there were repercussions to rebellion.

As leaders, we must recognize that after players or team members blatantly violate the rules and cultural norms, we can no longer make excuses for them. They must be held accountable.

Very seldom do repeat insubordinates change, and what Simmons doesn’t seem to grasp is that no other team is going to eagerly open its arms to these types of transgressions. He may land with another organization, but the red flags aren’t just going to disappear.

No matter our industry, there’s a critical leadership lesson from this entire saga: We are either coaching it or allowing it to happen.

And when people show us their true character, we need to believe them.