Daily Leadership Thought #68 – Share The Credit, Shoulder the Blame
Share the credit but shoulder the blame!
When positive things happen to you in your work and personal life, express gratitude to those people around you who helped make it happen. Ensure that others recognize that you didn’t achieve this success alone, and that many people have been and will continue to be instrumental in your good fortune. In addition, whenever possible, claim the achievement as a group outcome rather than attributing it solely to one individual.
Conversely, when unfortunate events occur, avoid seeking blame. Step up and take personal responsibility. The quicker you move past the blame game and/or rationalizing your own behavior, the quicker you will be able to address whatever happened and move towards a more proactive and positive state of mind. This doesn’t mean you don’t hold others accountable for learning from and jointly owning the solution, but it does frame the relationship differently.
Leaders need to create a trusting environment. One way to do this is to let those around you know you’ll share the credit and shoulder the blame. Sadly, many leaders and managers do the opposite.
Related articles
- Why Good Leaders Pass the Credit and Take the Blame (hbr.org)
- The Workplace Whodunit: Navigating a Culture of Blame (online.wsj.com)
- Count your blessings, not your sorrows: showing gratitude on a daily basis (whereyouwannogofromhere.wordpress.com)
- Share Credit, Take Blame (wisdomhunters.com)
