Delegate dodgy work

“I take full responsibility for what happened. That's why the person who was responsible went immediately." Gordon Brown (16 April 2009)

Leaving aside whether Gordon Brown grasps what taking responsibility means, the obvious point here is that as a top manager, you will delegate the riskiest, dodgiest and dirtiest work. Then maintain sufficient distance to avoid blame for what your delegate does.

And when things go wrong, it is better for your delegate to resign rather than be dismissed, since this will demonstrate the high standards of behaviour in your organisation.