Why should the head (leader) be the only one to take responsibility for the actions of the body (underlings)?

Question

Should a leader take the blame for a failure-causing mistake made by someone on his team? Here are some examples:

1. The show "The Apprentice" with Donald Trump. I only saw one series, but what I noticed is that leaders with faulty team-members have a low chance of survival, should their team fail.

2. Saddam Hussein. He might have been the leader of this regime, but I doubt he was the only one to make all the decisions. Yet, he is the only one hanged.

3. Miron Cozma. He was the leader of the miners in the Mineriads in Romania (1990, 1991, 1999). He wasn't the only leader of the miners, but he is the only one in prison. for those that do not know what am I talking about:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineriad

So, why should the head suffer for the entire body?

Answer 1

Favorite Answer

We can't punish the whole body. It's much quicker and easier to cut off the head.