Since leaving Microsoft in 2014, Steve Ballmer has occasionally taught a class at Stanford's business school called "Leading Organizations."
And when teaching, Ballmer has often talked about muscle: building it and using it. Adapting in highly competitive business, Ballmer has told scores of graduate students over the past decade, is "like getting in the weight room. You may not know how you're going to use your capability, but you've got to be stronger. You've got to learn new things."
Ballmer has a challenge on his hands with his core business now, the LA Clippers. He and the team have made a huge investment in the current roster with the expectation -- the demand, frankly -- of championship-level success.
Two years into his grand plan, it hasn't happened. The reasons don't require spaghetti code-level analysis.
Even in the superteam era, no franchise has survived losing its best player and been able to win a title. The Clippers kept a stiff upper lip when Kawhi Leonard's MRI results came back before Game 5 of the conference semifinals in Salt Lake City. Ever the cheerleader, Ballmer's spirits outwardly never faltered, but deep down he had to know the truth.