Do You Own the Buck…or Do You Just Pass it Up the Line?

Last week, Debbie (my wife) and I watched a great “feel-good” movie, The Boys in the Boat. And then, we went to cheer on our oldest grandson and his team in their High-School League Ice-Hockey finals.?

Both experiences/events are similar in that they are all about team…one person can make a difference and motivate the rest, but one person can’t win for all.

It’s a simple thought, really…if you can’t pass the ball, you can’t play on the team. But there is a flip side…let’s say you don’t want to catch the ball.?

Think about it…you’ve seen the behavior…passive/aggressive. Complaining about lack of teamwork, but not really ready to accept the accountability for being a team player themselves.?

Imagine Michael Jordan passing the ball…but his teammates not wanting to be held accountable for losing, or not wanting him to get too much credit (even though they automatically shared the win). So, they make themselves unavailable to receive the ball and are somewhere other than in the receiving lane…we’ve all seen that behavior too.

Maybe they face the other way, make sure they are always blocked, or slow down…any number of opportunities to keep from having to really mix it up. So what happens? Michael becomes a loner…he wants to win so he plays by himself. And guess what? He gets tagged as a non-team player…and, the winning percentage drops.

This quote is simple and direct, and, to my way of thinking, has been used consistently in the wrong context:

“The Buck Stops Here” —Sign on the desk of late US President Harry Truman

Over the years, the slogan has come to be used by senior management to define their authority…as in, “I make the final decision.” The truth is that the line comes from an American idiom “pass the buck,” meaning giving up accountability, passing it along to others.?

The problem with the Truman model for me has been that it seems to encourage passing the buck…“hey, it’s not my job” or “don’t hold me accountable.” Why? Because the “buck” doesn’t stop here…it keeps going all the way up the line.

Back to Michael…the coach was telling him that the buck stops with him. He needs to be a team player and to take the accountability for being one in stride. But then again, so do his teammates. They need to be equally as accountable to catch as he is to throw and therein lies the way to win the game—the buck, bottom line, is owned by all.?

Let the buck stop with you…always. And, be like Michael, pass the ball…but never pass the buck!!!!!

What’s your view?