No #158 | March 2, 2025

by Matthew Boyd

Good morning, welcome to the weekly Lead It Cool newsletter.

I saw this tweet below last week and it felt very relatable.

For whatever reason, I always find the last couple of weeks of February to be extra draining. But as soon as we round the corner into March, and the weather starts to get nicer, and we change the clocks, I seem to feel a fresh start, energized by the excitement of the adventures ahead in spring and summer🐣.

In this week's Lead It Cool newsletter:

• 🏀Loss Aversion: Luka
• 🎬Crimson Tide
• 🍀March
• 😆Strategy Fireman
• 😎Cool Links

🏀Loss Aversion: Luka

Another of the quirks of human psychology that has always fascinated me is the concept of loss aversion. It’s a theory developed by psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, and it explains why humans tend to feel the pain of losing something far more intensely than the joy of gaining something of equal value.

In simple terms: Losing $100 hurts more than finding $100 feels good. Our brains are wired to protect what we already have, sometimes to an irrational degree.

And right now, we are witnessing one of the greatest real-world examples of loss aversion play out before our eyes: the fallout from the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here's the background:

A few weeks ago, the Mavs sent their homegrown superstar packing in exchange for Anthony Davis and a package of trade assets. On paper, it might have been a logical move. Davis is a dominant force, a defensive monster, and if he stays healthy, could help push the Mavericks toward a championship.

From a pure basketball standpoint, it’s not necessarily a bad trade.

But try telling that to Mavs fans.

Because for them, this wasn’t just a trade, it was a gut punch.

Luka wasn’t just a star; he was their star. He was the guy who made Dallas basketball must-watch TV, the player kids dreamed of being, the jersey you saw everywhere at the American Airlines Center.

He was theirs. And now he’s gone.

And here’s where loss aversion comes in: It doesn’t matter that the Mavericks might actually be better off. The pain of losing Luka outweighs any potential gain.

Even if Anthony Davis plays the best basketball of his life and the Mavs go on a deep playoff run, fans will still feel that sting every time they see Luka in a Lakers uniform (for potentially the next decade).

Now, can Mavericks fans ever truly move on?

Probably only if the team wins a championship. And even then, I guarantee some fans will still be watching Luka highlights on YouTube late at night, alone, muttering, “Man, I miss that guy.”

Because that’s the thing about loss aversion: We don’t just want to win, we want to win without losing anything we love.

But in sports, just like in life, that’s rarely how it works.

🎬Crimson Tide

This past week, we lost an icon: Gene Hackman.

His career was filled with unforgettable performances, but one movie I’ve always wanted to write about (yet never had the chance) is Crimson Tide.

To put it simply, Crimson Tide is one of the greatest leadership movies of all time.

Set aboard a U.S. nuclear submarine, it’s a masterclass in authority, decision-making, and the delicate balance between adhering to the chain of command and knowing when to break it. And at its heart are two powerhouse performances: Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington, both at the peak of their craft.

Hackman plays Captain Frank Ramsey, a hardened, old-school leader who believes in absolute obedience.

Washington, on the other hand, plays Lieutenant Commander Ron Hunter, a more cerebral, measured officer who sees leadership as a nuanced responsibility.

When their submarine receives an incomplete order that could mean launching nuclear weapons against Russia, the film becomes a battle of ideologies: one demanding obedience, the other demanding verification.

One of the film’s central themes is the role of the chain of command. In most high-stakes environments, whether it’s the military, corporate leadership, or even a sports team, hierarchy exists for a reason. It allows for swift, coordinated action.

But Crimson Tide poses an uncomfortable question: What happens when following orders could lead to disaster?

The best leaders know when to defer to authority and when to challenge it. In the film, Ramsey sees hesitation as weakness, while Hunter sees questioning orders as a moral and strategic necessity. This tension creates one of the most gripping leadership dilemmas ever put on screen.

Gene Hackman retired from acting years ago, but his performances never faded. Crimson Tide remains a testament to his talent, his ability to command the screen, and his understanding of complex characters.

Rest in peace, Mr. Hackman. Your legacy endures.

🍀March

I recently finished the book The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. Not my favourite book ever, but it was one of the more unique plot ideas I've ever read.

Schwab is also an absolute magician with words and metaphors.

Here is a passage from the book that describes the month of March, which I thought was timely since, well, it's now March.

😆Strategy Fireman

🤣

😎Cool Links

😊Why kindness is the key to high performance at work. Kindness isn’t something you are, it’s something you do. You are as kind as your last kind act or as unkind as your last unkind act. When we see kindness as a verb, not a noun, we recognize the importance of seeing kindness as a practice.

🎬The Eight Biggest Story Lines Heading Into the 2025 Oscars. I just looked at the best picture nominations and... I've seen only one of them... You?

🕗The 8am meeting: Perfect time or corporate crime? Whatever you call it, working in corporate America seems to mean a constant stream of meetings. To make matters worse, there’s an intricate web of unspoken social rules and etiquette guiding how and when meetings are scheduled — and, it turns out, not everyone is on the same page. A particularly contentious battleground in the discourse? The 8am meeting, both dreaded by employees and promoted by employers, per The Wall Street Journal.

😕The Slack generation can't communicate with the email generation. Why more platforms are dividing the workplace. Should you leave important information in a voicemail to a colleague? Should you pick up a phone call from your boss after hours? How do you determine what rises to the occasion of a face-to-face, and what information can be shared in an email? Cameras on or off? Answers to these questions can vary significantly based on industry, age, seniority, workplace culture and personal preference, and the lack of widely accepted norms is creating new workplace challenges.

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