Take One for the Team

It’s time for me to rant again.

Recently, I was talking to my sister and she was telling me a story about her and her boss.

The problem started when her boss found out that a decision made early on in a project was wrong, and this decision was going to cost her boss on an evaluation. Instead of admitting the mistake and dealing with the consequences, she asked my sister to “take one for the team” and say it was her fault. She was asking my sister to possibly hurt her career in order to save herself.

Talk about making my blood boil. A true leader never says, “take one for the team.” A true leader always accepts responsibility for his or her own actions in addition to the actions of their team.

“Taking one for the team” is the responsibility of the leader. How can a leader manage their team when they abdicate responsibility? How can a team respect their leader if they know when the going gets tough their leader will not be there for them?

My guess is my sister’s boss had no idea the effect this interaction had on my sister and the other members of the staff. I believe if she had known, she would not have acted this way.

This story reminds me of how important it is to educate ourselves and continue to strive to be great leaders. I believe that if we are committed to this, we will never have to ask someone to “take one for the team.”

Until next time…I’m Marty, make every minute count.