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It has often been said that the true test of love is whether you would give up the thing you love to protect it. The most famous story of the wisdom of Solomon is that he took a baby two women each claimed was hers and threatened to cut it in two, giving each supposed mother a half; one woman immediately renounced her claim, whereupon he knew she was the true mother.

But this isn't just a story about a mother's love, it's a story about loyalty, about knowing when your presence is harmful and walking away. To take a more modern tale, there is a Dad's Army episode (‘Command Decision’) where Captain Mainwaring faces a similar dilemma: there is an ex-Army officer who can give the platoon some rifles, and is more experienced than Mainwaring, but to get him, Mainwaring has to give up his position and leave the team. His loyalty to his men is strong enough that he does this despite their objections, because he thinks it will be best for the platoon, but in the end it turns out that the other officer couldn't give the platoon what he said he would, so Mainwaring comes back.

This applies just as much to loyalty towards other groups of people. A good coach of a sports team will gladly step down if he thinks someone else can do a better job. A good political leader will fade into obscurity if he thinks he's hurting his party or his country.

But how often does it happen in the corporate world? Sure, there are often family businesses, or businesses raised from nothing by the hard graft of their founders, where the owner is willing to step down to keep the factory/mill/mine open, and such adventures are the stuff of many a British drama. But what about the average office worker? So consider this question yourself for a moment: if someone came along who could do your job twice as well as you, and you really needed them, but you had to leave your company for them to afford to hire this wonderful person, would you resign?

I'm sorry to say that I wouldn't at the moment. I once worked somewhere I probably would have done—in fact, I did end up “taking one for” that team, but in a different way, a way that didn't leave me convinced I'd done the right thing. And as for present company, I can think of circumstances where I would do it: if the company were owned and run by the developers I share loyalty with, the developers I drink with and sometimes stay late at the office with; if it were a question of making a sacrifice to protect them, I'd do it without a second thought. It's just a shame that the company is in fact owned by people who wouldn't recognise me if we met in the street, and run by people who are yet to convince me they would answer yes.

But that's enough about me. What did you answer? What would your colleagues, bosses, or subordinates answer? If any of those is a “no,” it might be worthwhile considering why, thinking about what would make you or they change your mind. A fair salary and occasional incentives and rewards, might buy you contractual loyalty, a duty to the company and the desire to perform well, but there's a huge gap between that and earning the intense personal loyalty, or even love, that makes a group into a team.