Paid Spear Catcher

BEFORE THE BOARD MEETING:

“Are you nervous?”

“Yes. I could get fired. We are a month behind schedule, 20% over budget, and since I’m the project leader, they are going to blame me.”

“Well…good luck. I’m glad I don’t have to explain what happened.”

AFTER THE BOARD MEETING:

“Did you survive?”

“Yes. I didn’t even have to explain what happened.”

“How did you escape that?”

“As we were walking in, my leader Gary pulled me aside and told me not to worry, he would handle it.”

“Did he blame you?”

“No, he never even mentioned my name. He explained what happened, took responsibility for it, then went over our recovery plan to get back on track. The board’s reaction was “Give us a weekly update via email. We’ll call another meeting if you don’t make progress.”

“So you walked out unscathed?”

“Yes, but I’m more determined than ever to make good because of what Gary did for me. He’s a great leader.”

Want to boost loyalty and sacrifice from your team? Be the paid spear catcher. When someone cries “Incoming,” get between the flak and your team. They’ll never forget.

If this post was interesting and useful, please forward it to a friend.