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. Make sure that others know 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 something designated to just one individual.
On the flip side, when negative or bad things happen, don’t look for a scapegoat. 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 accomplish this is for those around you to know that you will 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)
- Leader vs. Anti-Leader (capacity-building.com)