Comparison:
This leadership pattern, however, is all too familiar: when leaders make unethical decisions, the blast radius of pain is often greater than the leaders themselves.
Dan Pontefract in Forbes rightly laments how Canadian Olympic soccer team members may be most hurt by the decision of members of their delegation to spy on competitors using a drone. Official severe sanctions have been leveled at the team, administrators, and coaches, yet team members may suffer the most in the midst of exceptionally strong competition. The comparison used, that of a “blast radius,“ is potent and clever because it invokes damage, injury, and trouble without ever mentioning the source of the metaphoric blast (in the case of the actual events and use of an illegal strategy and the resulting penalties).
Context:
While two staff members were caught using drones to spy on the New Zealand team, the fallout has, predictably, cast a shadow over the athletes, let alone Canada as a country. As a Canadian with three children—all three soccer-playing young adults—I lie somewhere between perplexed and gutted.
This leadership pattern, however, is all too familiar: when leaders make unethical decisions, the blast radius of pain is often greater than the leaders themselves.
Consider the Enron scandal in 2001, when more than 25,000 employees lost their jobs, $2 billion in pension savings, and $1.2 billion in retirement funds due to the deceitful actions of a few top executives.
The Canada Soccer drone spying incident is another textbook example. The athletes, who trained tirelessly for their moment in the Olympic spotlight, now face additional stress and scrutiny because of actions taken by their so-called leaders.
Citation:
Pontefract, Dan. “Red Card For Who? Unpacking The Canada Soccer Drone Scandal.” Forbes, 29 July 2024. Web.
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