Sharing Credit

Nothing loses a leaders credibility quicker than the statement,
I did…, I achieved…, I made…, and so on.

As leaders we lead teams, we do very little of the actual work ourselves, it’s our teams that do the heavy lifting, it’s our teams that do the hard work that deliver the results, or goes the extra mile in order to ensure that targets are achieved.

But with the use of the word I, we undermine their contribution, we restrict the sharing of the credit, we imply that we were the key reason for the success.

Leaders who use the statements, We did…, We achieved…, We made…, and so on are showing their teams respect, they are sharing credit. They are increasing their credibility, the trust that the team has in them, and is ensuring that the next time that the going gets tough, that the team will be there to help them achieve success again.

Leaders who hoard the credit for themselves will find themselves potentially standing alone the next time things start to go wrong.

We is such a small word but it can have significant benefits.