Sometimes it’s called the ‘bad apple in the barrel’ – sometimes ‘the black-sheep of the family’ – and on occasions ‘the boat-builder.’
The story goes that on being shipwrecked the crew and passengers were stranded on a remote island. The natural leader of the group was the ships captain, but when he asked for volunteers to build a shelter, find water and treat the injured – one man stood out, raised his hand and said, ‘I am a Boat-builder’.
In an instant both crew and passengers realised they had someone who could take them off the island. The boat-builder therefore became the centre of everyone’s attention. But, the boat-builder had no leadership or delegation skills and was without presence. The result being the survivors descended into a state of chaos.
This can happen in any situation were leadership is challenged. In the office, workplace, or anywhere there are teams of people.
William Golding’s book ‘The Lord of the Flies’ is as prominent now as it was in 1954.