“Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf”

Another one of the German idioms that I often hear at the office is “Der Fisch stinkt vom Kopf.” It translates to “The fish rots from the head,” in English. 

The phrase describes dysfunction at the highest levels of an organization (the proverbial head”) and the negative trickle-down impact this dysfunction has on the rest of the organization.

Though it can sometimes sound like a malicious criticism of the bosses, there’s actually a helplessness captured in this phrase, a belief that the organization could accomplish great things if only its executive ranks were composed of better managers. And maybe they could accomplish great things.

But in my experience, the biggest failure of executives is often their inability or resistance to communicate the trade-offs that led them to a particular course of action. After all, they’re only human.