There are many great
definitions of leadership, but one of my favourites is this simple one by the
little known Arnold H. Glasow. “A good leader takes a little more than his
share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” Leadership must certainly
be measured by degrees of humility. The woman or man who does not recognize the
contributions of followers or does not recognize that their own success was
built upon the foundations of others before them, is no leader. Leadership is
experimentation, taking chances, using best guesses, following hunches, and
trusting in higher powers. How can one revel in oneself when a particular hunch
pays off? Great leaders practise great gratitude.
definitions of leadership, but one of my favourites is this simple one by the
little known Arnold H. Glasow. “A good leader takes a little more than his
share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit.” Leadership must certainly
be measured by degrees of humility. The woman or man who does not recognize the
contributions of followers or does not recognize that their own success was
built upon the foundations of others before them, is no leader. Leadership is
experimentation, taking chances, using best guesses, following hunches, and
trusting in higher powers. How can one revel in oneself when a particular hunch
pays off? Great leaders practise great gratitude.
We have all known those who profess to
be leaders while seeking to find a place to lay the blame. They are all too
willing to point at their staff or their superiors, “throwing them under the
bus.” Leaders will seek to make others successful and
will redirect fault: they will either recognize fault with a “buck
stops with me” mentality or seek to learn from the problem and move on without
pointing at anyone.
be leaders while seeking to find a place to lay the blame. They are all too
willing to point at their staff or their superiors, “throwing them under the
bus.” Leaders will seek to make others successful and
will redirect fault: they will either recognize fault with a “buck
stops with me” mentality or seek to learn from the problem and move on without
pointing at anyone.
Certainly, it is okay to take a share
of the credit, but it is a whole team that moves an organization forward. When
there is significant recognition, the pseudo-leader is like a “black hole” of credit,
allowing nothing to escape absorption, whereas the accolades will quickly
reflect off a true leader’s convex surface to shine back on others.
of the credit, but it is a whole team that moves an organization forward. When
there is significant recognition, the pseudo-leader is like a “black hole” of credit,
allowing nothing to escape absorption, whereas the accolades will quickly
reflect off a true leader’s convex surface to shine back on others.