Thursday March 20, 2014 #611
“A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, and a little less than his share of the credit.”
~Arnold H. Glasow
A strong leader is a combination of strong ego and humility. To get to a position of authority, one must have the courage of their convictions, be able to project confidence and capability, and have a healthy belief in their abilities. This can come across as being ego-centric and many a leader is criticized for actions and words that seem to indicate it is “all about them”. It is a natural consequence for a strong leader, and therefore must be balanced with intentional humility. The reality is that ongoing success for any leader is dependent upon the engagement and superior efforts of those they lead. All good leaders know this and nurture their people. The point though is that the leader must be quite intentional about their words and actions so that their followers know their leader will shoulder the blame for challenges, and give credit to their team for successes.
I have had my own challenges in effectively expressing my gratitude for the efforts of others, and suspect you may face this challenge from time to time yourself. Let’s all remember to be intentional on expressing well our gratitude for all those who create the achievements for the teams we are honored to lead or in which we participate.