Credit to Jerome Miron/Imagn Images/Reuters For Nico Harrison image
By Steve “The Doctor” Meek, CEO of The Fulcrum Group, Inc. — Keller, TX
When Leadership Decisions Make Headlines
I was at the game Wednesday night with Dumont in the building and Fire Nico chants broke out periodically. When news broke that the Dallas Mavericks were parting ways with President of Basketball Operations Nico Harrison, myself and every other Dallas Mavericks MFFL (Mavs Fan For Life) lit up — but so did my organizational-behavior brain. Leadership transitions like this aren’t confined to big sports franchises. Whether you're running a professional basketball team or a city manager of a small city near DFW, the fundamentals are surprisingly similar.
At The Fulcrum Group here in Keller, TX, we often tell clients that leadership clarity, communication rhythms, and cultural consistency determine whether an organization can sustain technology success — especially in high-pressure moments. And this Mavericks situation is a masterclass in what happens when expectations, communication, and alignment drift… even slightly.
This article breaks down what SMB leaders can learn, why organizational behavior matters in moments of transition, and how frameworks like our core philosophies keep our teams aligned — even when navigating chaos.
- Leadership Isn’t Just About Decisions — It's About Alignment
It is easy to see the Luka trade as a single decision. But Nico’s rule of the Mavericks struggled because leadership, vision, and operational execution fell out of sync.
That’s exactly what happens inside small and mid-sized businesses, municipalities and non-profits every day:
- The owner/leader believes the team is executing one strategy.
- Department heads/coaches believe they’re executing another.
- Front-line employees/players receive limited or no clear direction at all.
In the MSP world, this is what we see when organizations lack a clear IT roadmap, governance, and consistent communication between ownership and technical leadership. That’s why our fCIO and Proactive Services Manager roles exist: they support the client stakeholder by helping create alignment between business strategy and operational execution. Together, all three end up co-creating value between them.
📌 Leadership Lesson from the Mavericks:
High-performance teams fail when strategic intent and operational reality don’t match. That’s how you go from making it to the NBA Finals one year and then falling out in the play-in game the next.
- Communication Is a Competitive Advantage — or a Silent Threat
When leadership changes happen abruptly (in sports OR business), it’s usually a sign that communication slowed down or emotions sped up.
SMBs often underestimate this:
Poor communication is the most expensive hidden problem in their business.
From IT to HR to the manufacturing floor, unclear expectations create:
- Unnecessary rework
- Employee frustration
- Lost trust
- Avoidable turnover
- Strategic drift
At The Fulcrum Group, our Quarterly Success Reviews (QSRs) exist for one purpose:
to prevent organizations from “drifting” the way the Mavericks did.
Regular, structured communication forces alignment, accountability, and clarity.
📌 Leadership Lesson from the Mavericks:
If you’re not communicating consistently, your culture is being shaped by accident — not intention.
- Empathy Isn’t Soft… It’s Strategic
The best leaders understand their people — not just their performance.
In high-pressure environments like the NBA, empathy is often replaced with urgency. But urgency without empathy leads to burnout, disengagement, and defensive decision-making. When you trade a franchise player and they don’t expect it, it also sends an unspoken message to other players about chemistry and value.
The same is true inside growing SMBs:
- Employees stay silent when they should speak up
- Leaders misinterpret resistance as incompetence
- Teams lose loyalty and momentum
- People fired but they weren’t expecting it
One of our six Fulcrum core values is Actively Listen & Communicate, and it remains one of our unfair advantages. When our team — especially our fCIOs — meets with clients, we do it with empathy and curiosity. We strive to learn everything about the organization, the business context, the people, the usage and the technology/ Then, we work to solve organizational issues, not just technical ones.
📌 Leadership Lesson from the Mavericks:
Empathy doesn’t prevent accountability — it makes accountability possible.
- Stability Drives Performance (In Basketball AND IT)
When teams see constant turnover in leadership, technical staff, or direction, their confidence erodes.
That’s why the Fulcrum Group’s 100% employee-based support (no outsourcing) is so important. And it’s why our No IT Jerks philosophy is more than a slogan — it’s a stabilizer.
When employees and clients know:
- Who they’ll work with
- That they’ll be treated respectfully
- That processes are consistent
- That communication is reliable
Performance and Engagement increases. And then trust compounds.
The Mavericks are entering a reset period — and SMBs enter similar phases when a leader leaves, a system crashes, there’s a cyber incident, a new core application, or growth outpaces structure.
📌 Leadership Lesson from the Mavericks:
Stability is not the absence of change — it’s the presence of consistent values.
- Culture Eats Strategy — And Crisis Tests Both
The Mavericks' situation is a reminder that talent wins games, but culture wins seasons.
Inside SMBs, culture shows up in:
- How teams handle stress
- Whether people take ownership
- How mistakes are addressed
- Whether communication is open or guarded
- How leaders show up when things go wrong
At Fulcrum, our STARPower Framework and TIPLAW core values (Take Personal Ownership, Inspire Client Confidence, Plan-Do-Review, Look to the Future, Actively Listen & Communicate, Work as a Team) exist to keep our culture durable — even during chaos. During “clutch time”, teams and organizations show who they really are.
📌 Leadership Lesson from the Mavericks:
Culture isn’t what’s printed on the wall — it’s what survives pressure.
What SMB Leaders Should Do Right Now
Here are three actionable takeaways SMB owners can apply immediately:
- Re-establish communication meeting rhythms
Daily huddles
Weekly leadership syncs
Monthly department updates
Quarterly strategic reviews
- Clarify ownership
Who owns the mission?
Who owns execution?
Who owns communication?
- Review your IT & operational alignment
Most misalignment starts in the systems that run the business:
Infrastructure
Security
Processes
Visibility
The Mavericks’ leadership reset is a cautionary tale — but also a roadmap for how organizations can recalibrate and come out stronger.
It is also a call to factor in training for the team. Athletes spend time in the gym and practice. Do you train your team in key applications or do they learn on their own? Do you assume everyone knows how to use the Office Suite, your copier and Acrobat Writer?
How The Fulcrum Group Helps SMBs Avoid the “Mavericks Moment”
Our integrated approach — SPOT Managed IT Services, SPOT Managed Security, STARPower Strategic Framework, and our No IT Jerks cultural foundation — is designed to prevent organizational disconnection before it starts.
We create leadership unity, operational clarity, and technical stability for SMBs across DFW — from city governments to manufacturers to healthcare practices.
If you're worried your organization might be drifting, now is the time to reset before the cracks show up on your scoreboard.
FAQ: Organizational Leadership, Culture & IT Alignment
Q: What does a basketball leadership shake-up have to do with managed IT?
A: More than most people think. Culture, communication, and leadership alignment determine success in both arenas. There is a lot to compare between organizational behaviors and their impact on results.
Q: How do I know my SMB has “strategic drift”?
A: Look for rising employee disengagement, client dissatisfaction, inconsistent decision-making, burnout, or unclear priorities. These are early warning signs. Consider ways to stay connected to younger or older generations.
Q: Can IT really impact organizational behavior?
A: Absolutely. Clear systems, stable tech, and structured communication rhythms directly influence team performance. Technology at its simplest is a tool. People don’t want to use an old forklift that needs to be coddled, over used wrenches and sockets, the copier that always jams, the PC that takes 10min just to boot up or the 1990s application that barely works but runs the business. The post COVID love of consumer technology makes employees less tolerant when they know there is better.
About the Author
Steve “The Doctor” Meek, CISSP, is the CEO & Co-Founder of The Fulcrum Group, Inc., a Keller-based MSP serving SMBs and local government entities across Dallas-Fort Worth. With 30+ years of IT and leadership experience, Steve leads Fulcrum’s STARPower™ Framework, hosts the Talk To Th3 Doc podcast, and serves on multiple advisory boards across North Texas. He is known for his practical insights on leadership, organizational behavior, and technology strategy — and for his promise of No IT Jerks.
