We’ve all seen it—someone at the peak of their career, respected and admired, only to fall hard because of their own pride. Whether in corporate life, politics, or personal relationships, the fall guy is often the one who refused to see their own flaws.
This isn’t just a modern problem. Centuries ago, the Mahabharata warned us through characters like Duryodhana, whose arrogance led to his downfall. Today, we see the same patterns repeating—senior professionals, leaders, and even celebrities crashing because they believed they were untouchable.
The Code That Crashed More Than Systems
Raj (name changed), a senior DevOps engineer, insisted his deployment script was perfect. When colleagues warned about potential failures, he scoffed: “I’ve been doing this for 15 years.” The subsequent outage made him the fall guy – costing his company ₹82 lakh and his promotion.
At home, his pride was breaking something more valuable. His wife’s suggestion to attend marriage counseling? “We don’t need help,” he’d say while debugging their relationship with the same arrogance he used at work.
3 Deadly Pride Patterns (IT Office × Marriage)
1️⃣ The “My Solution is Best” Trap
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At Work: Rejecting peer code reviews
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At Home: Dismissing your partner’s perspective
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The Fall: Becoming the unreliable fall guy in both spheres
2️⃣ The Blame Game
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At Work: “The QA team missed this bug!”
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At Home: “You’re too sensitive!”
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Result: Trust erosion in both relationships
3️⃣ The Knowledge Curtain
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At Work: Not documenting processes
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At Home: Assuming “they should just know”
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Outcome: Colleagues and partners feel undervalued
The Mahabharata Debug (3 Fixes)
🛠️ Patch 1: Daily Stand-up for Couples
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Like morning SCRUM meetings: “What’s blocking you today?”
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Mahabharata Mirror: Krishna’s counsel to Arjuna
🛠️ Patch 2: Implement Peer Review
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At work: Actually consider feedback
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At home: “Help me understand your view”
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Verse 7 Connection: Duryodhan ignored Drona’s advice
🛠️ Patch 3: Fail Gracefully
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IT version: Post-mortems without finger-pointing
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Marriage version: say “I was wrong” “I am sorry” and then see the magic.
Other Real-Life Scenarios: When Pride Leads to a Fall
1. The CEO Who Stopped Listening
❌ The Wrong Move: A successful CEO, after years of growth, starts dismissing feedback. Employees raise concerns about outdated strategies, but he insists, “I built this company—I know best.” Soon, competitors overtake them.
✅ The Fix: Stay humble. Great leaders like Warren Buffett and Indra Nooyi actively seek criticism. Pride blinds; humility sharpens vision.
2. The Senior Employee Who Became the “Fall Guy”
❌ The Wrong Move: A veteran employee takes credit for team successes but blames others for failures. When a project collapses, management realizes he was the fall guy for his own toxic leadership.
✅ The Fix: Own mistakes. True respect comes from accountability, not shifting blame.
3. The Politician Who Overestimated Power
❌ The Wrong Move: A long-serving minister mocks younger colleagues, believing his experience makes him irreplaceable. Then, an election loss humbles him overnight.
✅ The Fix: Adapt or fall. The best leaders evolve with time.
4. The Retired Professional Who Can’t Let Go
❌ The Wrong Move: A retired executive keeps interfering in his former company’s decisions, undermining his successor. Soon, even old allies distance themselves.
✅ The Fix: Pass the baton gracefully. Your legacy is defined by how well the next generation thrives.
5. The “Know-It-All” Mentor Who Drove Talent Away
❌ The Wrong Move: A senior manager dismisses fresh ideas, saying, “We’ve always done it this way.” Top performers quit, leaving him with a weak team.
✅ The Fix: Stay curious. The wisest leaders remain students for life.
How to Avoid Becoming “The Fall Guy”
✔ Listen More Than You Speak – Pride silences wisdom.
✔ Give Credit, Take Blame – Real leaders lift others.
✔ Stay Hungry, Never Complacent – Success is a journey, not a throne.
✔ Know When to Step Back – Even legends retire.
Final Thought
History—whether ancient epics or modern business—repeats one truth: Pride comes before the fall. Duryodhana had the greatest warriors but lost because of his ego. Today, leaders with brilliant minds fall for the same reason.
Will you learn from their mistakes?
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