One elementary school teacher of mine once said:

"In a football (soccer) game, the goalkeeper can be a very good player. He can make some incredible saves during the match. If he concedes a howler, people will remember him by that.

The forward can do everything wrong during the match. If he manages to score one goal, this is sufficient to justify why he was playing."

A team without a forward will have a harder time trying to win, but it is possible. A team without a goalkeeper will certainly lose. If you think into it, it's possible to conclude that the goalkeeper is more important than the forward. But football isn't rational; it isn't about fairness or importance. It is about emotions: forwards get all the visibility and fame because they get to do the "fun" part of the job.

Why people subject themselves to be goalkeepers then? Well, not every one is the same. In this game, if you, for any reason, aren't good playing with your foot, and still want to play, there is only one position you can take.

I think about this all the time because feel that in our work environment, managers are forwards and devs/scientists/technicians are goalkeepers.