It's Not a Legacy, It's Just Me

When one is enough to spoil the whole basket.

There’s a saying we’ve all heard: “One rotten apple spoils the whole bunch.” It’s used so often that we forget how true — and how dangerous — it really is.

In workplaces, the “rotten apple” doesn’t always shout. Sometimes, it whispers. It gossips. It undermines. It says one thing in a meeting and another behind closed doors. It avoids accountability. It sows doubt, chips away at trust, and slowly erodes the culture from the inside out.

I’ve seen this up close. Recently, I found myself reflecting on how much an environment can shift when even one person poisons the well — or when leadership chooses not to act. Over time, collaboration is replaced by caution. Teams stop taking risks, not because they’re lazy or disengaged, but because it no longer feels safe. The energy that once fueled creativity gets spent on self-preservation. That’s the silent cost of toxicity.

But here’s the part we often miss: if we keep pretending that the apple is fine — if we keep it in the basket for the sake of comfort, politics, or fear — we risk losing the whole harvest. Talented people disengage. Passionate voices go quiet. The team breaks, not in a loud snap, but in a slow unraveling.

I’ve always believed leadership is more than titles and timelines. It’s about creating spaces where people feel valued, seen, and safe to show up as themselves. And sometimes, that means making hard calls — naming the rot, protecting the basket.

To anyone reading this who’s been in that situation — watching the basket slowly spoil while others look away — I see you. It’s not easy. But please remember: one person can also be the start of healing. One honest conversation. One leader with courage. One team member who says enough.

This isn’t about blame. It’s about responsibility.

Because in the end, the health of the whole basket matters more than the comfort of one apple.

La manzana podrida
Dicen que “una manzana podrida daña toda la cesta”. En el trabajo, esa manzana no siempre grita; a veces susurra, critica a escondidas y mina la confianza. Lo he vivido. Cuando una persona envenena el ambiente y nadie actúa, el equipo se llena de miedo, se apaga la creatividad y se pierde la conexión. Esta reflexión no es para señalar culpables, sino para recordar que también una sola persona puede iniciar la sanación: una conversación honesta, una decisión valiente, una voz que diga basta. Porque al final, proteger al equipo es más importante que proteger la comodidad de una manzana podrida.

Want to go deeper? Discover The Catalyst Blueprint — my leadership model for engineers and project managers who lead with heart.

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