10 Jugs of Wine - A Tale from Japan

Diffusion of personal responsibility can occur quickly on teams. Everyone must contribute.

D. Brown Management Profile Picture
Share
Leadership Tools: Ten Jugs of Wine - A Tale from Japan.

This is a simple tale from Japan that elegantly illustrates the point and includes how people react even when the failed results are clear. Watch your scoreboard. Watch for those who aren't giving their all and then some for the good of the team. Watch for those that don't shine a bright light on those problems, especially themselves.  


10 Jugs of Wine - A Tale from Japan

Ten old men decided to celebrate the New Year with a big crock of hot sake wine. Since none of them could provide for all, they each agreed to bring one jug of wine for the large heating bowl. On the way to his wine cellar, each old man thought, "My wine is too valuable to share! No one will know. It'll never show. It'll still be fine. I'll bring a jug of water instead of the wine."

And so when they gathered with the jugs they brought, all ten old men poured the contents of their jugs ceremoniously into the big bowl and then looked sheepishly at one another as they heated and poured hot water for all.


"Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, one-hundred-percent and then some." - Excerpt from the Army Ranger Creed

"Responsibility is a unique concept... You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you... If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else." - Hyman G. Rickover; Father of the Nuclear Navy

 




Calm and Deliberate Action
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast. This advice is invaluable when leading a team through a crisis. Calm and deliberate action is what's required, often from incomplete and conflicting information.
8 Stages of Personal and Team Growth
Exploration expands our context. Learning and deliberate practice builds and demonstrates our individual productivity. Develop team productivity with four levels of leveraging yourself through others. Take an inventory of where you and your team are at.
COVID-19: The Only Easy Day was Yesterday
The Only Easy Day was Yesterday. About 15% of our clients are located in California, so last week was a great window into what it will likely look like for other states during the coming weeks.