It would be funny if it weren't so awful.

Earlier this week, the world series in professional baseball was lost in part due to a manager bending to the desires and whims of an employee.  Let's get the rundown from Business Insider:

"The New York Mets lost the World Series in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday night after yet another late-inning collapse.

Fighting to push it to Game 6 with his team down 3-1 in the series, Matt Harvey pitched the game of his life through eight innings, with the Mets holding a 2-0 lead.

Given the innings debacle with Harvey's arm — there was disagreement about how many innings Harvey would be able to pitch this season and whether he would even be available in the playoffs — Mets manager Terry Collins told Harvey in the dugout that he was done for the night.

Harvey didn't take it well, arguing and telling Collins that he was going to stay in for the ninth inning."

Those of you that watched it know the rest of the story. Collins caved to his employee, one that earlier in the year didn't want to work as hard as his team wanted him to, and the rest was history.  Harvey went back to the mound to face the Royals in the 9th, and promptly gave up a walk and double. By the time that Collins pulled Harvey, the momentum had shifted, the Royals tied the game in the 9th and ultimately won the game - and the series - in extra innings.

Lessons related to managing talent: 

1.Never let an employee who hasn't been a total team player make calls about how he is used when he's suddenly engaged - meaning the situation is now perfect to him. 

2. Once you make a call to go a certain direction, you look weak if you allow someone to pimp you into reversing your decision.

3. If you're a manager of people, we're paying you to make decisions. So maybe you should make them, stand by them and man up.

4. If you've got specialists in your company, let them be specialists.  Collins had a closer for that situation, and it's widely accepted in baseball that's the right way to go.

It's great to listen to your team. But listening happens before you make a decision to go a certain way - once you make your call, go the way you want to go.

We're paying you to make decisions. Karma has a way of punishing you when you know what to do and then change your mind in a moment of weakness.