Fish go rotten from the head

To help to ensure good governance, boards need "both competence and sufficient diversity around the boardroom table" (Garratt, 2010, p. xv), carefully working through "the necessary balances, competences, evaluations and learning needed to ensure more healthy organizations in future - to stop the fish rotting from the head" (pp. xv-xvi). The governance board is considered to be the 'head' of the organisation; the setter of externally-focused strategy, big picture thinking, direction, vision and values (Garratt, 2010). The body of the organisation is the staff and management, who look to internally-focused tactics and management, operational thinking, mission, tasks and actions. If the head is good, the fish will be sweet: that sound, measured leadership should lead to sound strategy. However, if the head is bad, the 'fish' will be rotten; that poor leadership leads to poor strategy... and thus the fish has gone rotten from its head. 

This saying is a metaphor for allocating responsibility to where the power actually lies, I feel. The body is not powerful: the head is. 

It is thought the "fish rots from the head" saying, so commonly used in governance circles (Garratt, 2010), comes from the Turkish:

"The Turks have a homely proverb applied on such occasions: they say 'the fish stinks first at the head,' meaning that if the servant is disorderly, it is because the master is so" (Porter, 1768, p. 27).

It is interesting that in 250 years there has been little drift: that the current, commonly-held meaning remains close to that of Porter (1768). Further, it is suggested that the Turkish poet, Rumi, published this adage in 1273 as a "Fish begins to stink at the head, not the tail" (Martin, 2023; Pearson, 2022), but I have not sighted the original, so cannot attest to the veracity!

But I do like the saying. Evocative :-)

Sam

References:

Garratt, B. (2010). The Fish Rots from the Head: Developing effective board directors (3rd ed.). CPI Bookmarque Ltd.

Martin, G. (2023, December 11). A fish rots from the head down. Phrase Finder. https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/fish-rot-from-the-head-down.html

Pearson. (2022, May 18). The Fish Rots from the Head – Meaning, Origin and Usage. https://english-grammar-lessons.com/the-fish-rots-from-the-head-meaning/

Porter, J. (1768). Observations on the Religion, Law, Government, and Manners, of the Turks (Vol 1.). J. Norse Bookseller.