Leadership Under Fire: Leonardo Freixas on Absorbing Blame After Failure

In a recent LinkedIn post, Leonardo Freixas explores the critical role of leadership in absorbing blame and protecting teams during times of public failure. Freixas uses the example of football coach Nick Saban’s reaction to a national championship loss to illustrate a profound leadership principle that he believes is often overlooked.

The True Test of Leadership: Standing Firm in Defeat

Freixas begins by setting a scene of public scrutiny following a significant loss, highlighting the presence of key figures like Bryce Young and Will Anderson alongside coach Saban. He observes that in such moments, the immediate instinct for many is to identify scapegoats. However, Freixas points to Saban’s deliberate choice not to distance himself from the situation as a powerful leadership act.

“Saban didn’t move. He stayed close when blame gave him an exit. That is the leadership mechanism most people miss.”

According to Freixas, the aftermath of public failure often devolves into a team’s internal focus on ‘who pays.’ He argues that weak leaders exploit this by transferring the cost of failure downwards, a practice they may mislabel as accountability.

The Downside of Weak Leadership: Eroding Trust and Courage

Freixas contends that when leaders consistently deflect blame, the team internalizes a damaging set of rules. He articulates this perceived team understanding as:

• Effort is public.
• Failure is permanent.
• Protection is conditional.

This environment, as Freixas explains, discourages individuals from taking bold risks. It’s not a lack of courage, he suggests, but rather a strategic shift towards caution as the safest career path. “Ownership starts feeling like exposure,” Freixas writes, illustrating how this dynamic can lead to a team’s decline.

“That is how elite teams shrink. Not in talent — in range.”

He elaborates that this shrinkage isn’t about a loss of raw talent, but a reduction in the team’s willingness to push boundaries and innovate. The capacity for high-impact effort diminishes when individuals fear that failure will not be met with understanding or protection.

Building Loyalty Through Sacrifice, Not Just Success

Freixas emphasizes that true loyalty within a team is not forged during times of celebration but in moments of adversity. He posits that a leader’s willingness to shield their team is a cornerstone of trust.

“Loyalty is not built in victory speeches. It is built when a leader can spend someone else’s reputation and chooses to absorb the cost himself.”

In Freixas’s view, when a leader steps forward to absorb the consequences of a setback, they demonstrate a profound commitment that resonates deeply. This act of self-sacrifice, or ‘spending their own reputation’ to protect others, builds a foundation of loyalty that is far more robust than any success achieved without shared struggle. As Freixas concludes, teams remember who stood with them in defeat and, crucially, who did not. This indelible memory shapes team cohesion and future performance.