Let credit travel outward

Career · Little Light original

When a project goes well, credit can become scarce. The launch is announced, senior names collect around it, and the careful work of the person who found the error or rebuilt the schedule disappears into "the team." When something goes wrong, however, responsibility can travel quickly toward the person with the least authority. Leadership can reverse that direction. Name people's contributions while the outcome is visible. Be specific about what they noticed, improved, or carried. When the result is disappointing, explain the decisions you owned before describing what others could learn. This does not mean hiding mistakes or offering praise that is not true. It means keeping power and accountability in the same place. People remember what happened to their work when the room became important. If their effort was seen and their risk was shared, they are more likely to bring their best thinking again. Credit given honestly does not make a leader smaller. It shows that the work has become bigger than one person's need to be central.

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