CC Sabathia: Flexing his Franchise Muscles to Management

The NY Yankees' ace, CC Sabathia, certainly turned heads upon his arrival to training camp.  Showing up 25 pounds lighter, svelte CC sent a clear message to the Yankees' brass:   I am the Franchise of this organization, I got myself in shape to continue my dominance, so extend my contract and pay me more or I'll opt out of my contract and potentially leave. 

Yankee-Red Sox commentator, Dom Amore, got it right when he said CC is fully aware of his leverage and would be foolish to give it away. CC has been watching the Yankees' management this off-season - the money they offered Cliff Lee (which is a better deal than CC has), and the way they treated their fading Franchise and soon-to-be Legend, Derek Jeter. 

Franchise players on the field and in the workplace give managers fits because they use their leverage to ask for - and often receive - more.  Managers bristle at the leverage play and often fail to bend sufficiently to retain the Franchise talent.  Clinging to your principles looks pretty foolish when your stud is packing his bags to head to your competition.

Managers need to do the following to keep their Franchise:

1. Give In:  Managers fear that caving to the Franchise would somehow weaken or threaten their authority, or perhaps be deemed unfair treatment by Franchise's peers and ultimately lead to low morale.  Sure, possible.  But managers who clearly articulate a policy of perks for performance and apply those equally across their team are likely to look like savvy business people and not like wimps.  In business, he with the most leverage wins.
2. Offer Value Not Easily Acquired Elsewhere:  Skilled, observant managers highlight value they offer Franchise that other managers would not or could not.  In the Yankees' case, they promote pitching on baseball's biggest stage, Yankee Stadium.  In the workplace, maybe it's removing Franchise's obstacles so he can perform better, or securing part-time admin help to ease his paperwork burden.  Managers would be wise to think creatively and self-promote often. 

"Self-promote?  To a subordinate?" you ask.  You bet.  This guy is your meal ticket.  Treat him like he is.  Managing Franchise players is challenging, but won't you look better if you attract and retain them, instead of sending them running to the competition?  Creating an environment that recognizes Franchise value will help you keep your very best producers.

Word to Brian Cashman (or the George's kids, or whoever is making player personnel decisions for the Yanks these days):  Take care of Big CC now, or the hat he famously tilts off the side of his head might have a big ugly B on it instead of the much more appealing inter-locking NY.

About Sean O'Neil

Sean O’Neil is Principal and CEO of One to One Leadership (www.one2oneleadership.com), a sales and management training firm with clients that include the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer, News Corporation, First Data, ADP, Xerox, the Oakland Raiders and the New York Knicks.  Sean and John Kulisek co-authored Bare Knuckle People Management:  Creating Success with the Team You Have – Winners, Losers, Misfits and All, which is due to be published in May 2011.  Sean has contributed to or been featured in, among others, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Selling Power Magazine and Incentive Magazine.