Leading from the front

It's been the pattern for a few years now.  Hang around in a team for too long, and I go and get "promoted".  Maybe it's my big mouth that gets me into this kind of trouble, but for some reason, managers seem to think that putting me in a leader role is a good thing.  As seems also to be the pattern, I consistently fail to dodge the position.

This morning, when there was yet another piece of testing to be done in an awkward corner of the code, another member of the team was trying their best to avoid it, so I gladly volunteered to take it on.  When asked why I was so willing, I just automatically replied 'Lead as you would wish others to follow'.  I may be terribly naive, but I think my point hit home.  Sometimes you get to do the cool jobs, like spiking the new shiny libraries, and other times you get given a shovel, and it's time to muck out.