" Listen, this is just an unpleasant part of our job sometimes. Those executives know that I took a bullet for them. I’ll make sure they acknowledge that in some way, but I’m not going to punish them for it. Remember, they’re paying us to help them make their company more successful, and if I had to be a trial balloon or a strategic piñata to make that happen, so be it. "

― Patrick Lencioni , Getting Naked: A Business Fable about Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty