Scapegoat

There was a ranch owner who had several horses and a goats, in his ranch|..

One horse became ill. The farmer called the veterinarian, who said: "Well, your horse has a virus. He must take this medicine for three days. I'll come back on the 3rd day and if he's not better, we're going to have to put him down."

Nearby, the goat listened closely to their conversation.

The next day, they gave him the medicine and left.

The goat approached the horse and said: "Be strong, my friend. Get up or else they're going to put you to sleep!"

On the second day, they gave him the medicine and left.

The goat came back and said: "Come on buddy, get up or else you're going to die! Come on, I'll help you get up.
Let's go! One, two, three..."

On the third day, they came to give him the medicine and the vet said: "Unfortunately, we're going to have to put him down tomorrow. Otherwise, the virus might spread and infect the other horses."

After they left, the goat approached the horse and said: "Listen pal, it's now or never! Get up, come on! Have courage! Come on! Get up! Get up! That's it, slowly! Great! Come on, one, two, three... Good, good. Now faster, come on...... Fantastic! Run, run more! Yes! Yay! Yes! You did it, you're a champion!!!"

All of a sudden, the ranch owner came back, saw the horse running in the field and began shouting: "It's a miracle! My horse is cured. We must have a grand party. Let's Cook the goat!!!!"

Lesson:  Management at times never know which employee actually deserves the credit. Appreciation for consistently good performers is often overlooked... taken for granted.

Just take this story for instance.

Did the goat not go the extra mile, then why did it meet the fate it did?

It did because it didn't know it would become a 'scapegoat'

On a serious note, scapegoating is a common phenomenon in team dynamics. It's good to identify, anticipate, and prepare to confront it... to protect the weakest link in the team.