Flip-Flops, the Mind and the Heart

Flip-flopping has become the phrase of choice in our culture when describing a change of decision or action by an individual or an organization and it is usually used in a negative way.

The bottom line is that most of the time flip-flopping is associated with a negative outcome pertaining to a verbal gaffe, a bad decision or verbal diarrhea like Kobe Bryant's inconsistent whining about being traded.

But I say flip-flopping can be a good thing.

Take the Billy Donovan saga that is unfolding as I write. Billy is taking some criticism for taking the Orlando Magic job and then having a change of heart and asking the Magic to release him so he can return to his job at Florida.

I don't think Billy's heart ever changed because his heart was and is at Florida. His mind, however, was changed by the combination of Orlando Magic's aggressive courtship, the substantial amount of money being offered and most importantly, the opportunity to take on a big challenge.

I get irritated when I hear journalists, sports talk show hosts and fans say it is all about the money when college coaches move up to the pro ranks. I don't buy it at all.

Now the money helps make the decision much more attractive but one fact supercedes all big money contracts and that fact is this: successful leaders in any field will always be attracted to a new and greater challenge.

This quote by Donovan at his Magic press conference proves my point. "...I really looked at myself in a couple of aspects; one, the easy decision for me personally would have been to stay at Florida, or the next step would be to do something that would really challenge me as a person and coach and help me me grow and get better."

So, Billy changed his mind about staying at Florida to take on a new challenge, to test himself, to grow and when he realized his mind did not match his heart, he had the courage to follow his heart and make the tough decision to back out of the Magic job.

Since when is it dishonorable to admit you made the wrong decision and follow your heart. I applaud Donovan for doing what was right in his heart, knowing he would disappoint the Magic organization and their fans as well as open himself up to criticism for changing his decision.

The two pitfalls here were that Donovan made a life changing decision quickly that did not need to be made quickly and he did not value what his heart was telling him as much as what his brain was telling him.

One's true north in life is the heart. The heart never follows the brain but the brain always follows the heart.