“I reached out (my italics) to the folks at the arena and our folks at the Mavs to find out what it would cost to support, financially support, people who aren’t going to be able to come to work.”
Our country is in unprecedented territory, and when any group is in such unchartered waters, it looks for leadership. Read those three words I italicized in the above quotation. Those and the ones following are, in my opinion, proof of leadership by Mr. Mark Cuban, the owners of the Mavericks.
He had choices: Close the arena; tell the concession workers that the problem will go away-just wait it out; take a vacation; whatever. But he did none of those or many others; he stepped up in a humane and big way. He will pay the wages of the people who clean the bathrooms at the arena and other hourly workers who cannot work because the arena is closed.
He went on to state that he had no details as to how his plan would work, but he was committing to “financially support” the workers who depend on an hourly wage. He mentioned that some type of community service may be required of them. But he is doing something positive and acting as a leader. But he also demonstrates an understanding and appreciation for the hourly wage earners. I suggest that, by his act, he has created a base of loyalty that will, in the long run, pay him a big dividend on whatever his cost now.
As a boy growing up in a cotton mill town during the 50’s, I remember how Mr. Charles Cannon dealt with a slowdown in Plant 1: Everybody worked. While shifts may have been reduced to just 3 days, everybody worked those days. That gave us all a huge sense of belonging to the community—our tribe, the safety net we needed.
That is what Mr. Cuban has created by his compassion—a loyal tribe that will support and follow him because he leads.
Southern Intersections 