When Mets manager Jerry Manuel ambled toward the mound to take out his ace Johan Santana, he knew his pitcher had to be pulled in spite of Santana's pending protestations. Santana had just given up the last of seven home runs allowing the Phillies to come within one run of the Mets.

As Manuel approached his pitcher, Santana held up the ball in protest shouting, "I'm a man." Manuel silently took the ball from his ace and waited for relief from the bullpen.

At the moment he took the ball, Manuel had a leadership decision to make. He could have scolded his ace for questioning the manager's decision. Instead, he ignored the temper tantrum and patiently waited for his bullpen pitcher. He chose not to draw attention to Santana's ire.  He respected his ace's fire and competitive spirit. He didn't take the action personally. It was a sign to the rest of us that Manuel was the leader of this team.  He was in charge and wouldn't allow a player to influence his decision. More importantly, he didn't react in kind. He allowed his star pitcher to save face and leave the mound.

It's a decision that business leaders are often faced with. A subordinate challenges your decision. What to do?  Manuel was smart enough to know that this subordinate was an important cog in the machine and allowed this momentary indiscretion to pass.  A good manager or leader is able to forego self-interest in the better interest of the team.  That's what Manuel did with Santana.  The manager knew he had larger issues to deal with and didn't allow this instance to obstruct him from his goal.  That's the sign of a good manager, a good leader.  It also earned him the respect and trust of his players.

Manuel's actions may serve all of us in leadership positions.  You have to know when to act and when to let things go.  A simple rule of thumb-if your actions are motivated by self-interest, they're probably going to backfire and lead to distrust among your subordinates.  Acting in the best interests of the organization or team will lead to greater trust in the future.