Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to Judge Cowboys

If you are of a certain age and enjoy country music at all, you immediately recognize the lyrics to Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys. Ed and Patsy Bruce wrote this song in 1975, but Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson made it famous in 1978.  It remains a favorite of mine, particularly the second verse. I want this line printed on my tombstone:

“He ain’t wrong, he’s just different but his pride won’t let him do things to make you think he’s right”

I view being a cowboy as more of a personality type than an occupation.  As the song implies, cowboys are distant and aloof.  When cowboys take personality tests, they are called introverts. Some of the tests use nice words like “thoughtful” or “creative” to describe this personality.  I understand this because I fit the profile.  I grew up to be a cowboy.

Personality tests have come under fire recently. HBO’s documentary Persona tells a story of how companies use the data from these tests to screen out candidates.  And because so many companies do this, people are being redlined.  They can’t get a job because of how they filled out an online survey.   

I use personality tests heavily in my work and find them very helpful.  Most people don’t have a good understanding of themselves.  Instead, they view themselves as having the traits they aspire to have or those they feel others expect.  A high-quality personality test, not the free ones on the internet that tell you which Hogwarts house you are in, makes you aware of your strengths, weaknesses, and how you are different from other people.  Knowing this information, you can communicate better with others and build relationships with people of varying personality types.  Understanding what interests you can help you find purpose in your career.

However, I agree with the documentary.  Using data alone to screen candidates is very dangerous.  It is a form of profiling.  Worse yet, in my opinion, it is lazy.  The tests are only helpful when you use them to start a conversation.  I have interviewed many job candidates in my career, and most of them involved analyzing a personality test.  I learned that you have to hear the person’s story and make your observations to validate what you see in the data because there are so many ways to interpret it.  People are complicated.

The truth always lies between the numbers and the narrative.  If you have read or seen Moneyball, you understand this.  Overreliance on either scouting reports or analytics will give you a wrong answer.  Observations are biased, and the numbers ignore nuance.  Organizations that understand this and do the hard work usually come out ahead.  Almost all professional sports teams employ data scientists now and have learned that you can’t forget to follow the scientific method.

We have always profiled professional athletes.  We expect them to be jocks.  Strong, competitive, good-looking, superficial, and not too bright.  Like the homecoming king. Professional athletes spend a lot of time around fans and in front of microphones, so we expect them to be extroverted and friendly.

James Harden doesn’t fit the profile.  From what I can tell, he appears to fit my definition of a cowboy.  Substitute “Las Vegas nightclubs” for “smoky old pool rooms,” and you have a pretty good description of James in the above verse. Or at least his public image.  He’s different, that’s for sure.  He breaks the mold of what people expect in an athlete.  He’s a nerd.  He’s smart, and he’s creative.  His step-back three-point shot and Euro step to the rim to draw fouls changed the game.  Most people don’t like it, but it works for James.  If others could pull it off, they would copy him rather than complain about how he gets away with what he gets away with.

Sometimes, we don’t know how to take him.  That’s for sure.  Two months ago, Harden’s behavior was under scrutiny for how he handled his departure from Houston.  The implication was that he was the cause of the team’s cultural issues.  “Just James being James.”  That perception may be changing. Now, the Rockets have lost 19 games in a row and counting. Meanwhile, Harden has emerged as a candidate for this year’s MVP award as a member of the Brooklyn Nets.  And, by all accounts, Harden has been a good teammate.  Fellow Net Nicolas Claxton says, “He’s definitely one-of-one.”  It seems to me he’s the same player we loved here in Houston not very long ago.  Was his behavior the cause of the Rockets’ cultural issues, or was it an effect?

The Rockets are a proud franchise, and I have every reason to believe they will become contenders once again.  I will jump back on the bandwagon then.  This year, I’m rooting for my favorite cowboy in the NBA to win the championship that eluded him in Houston.