If you're going to take credit, take responsibility as well.

As a leader, you can’t take credit for a win if you’re not willing to take the responsibility for a loss. 

Dodging accountability has been happening since the beginning of mankind. Check this out, the Bible never says that Adam was on the other side of the garden when Satan talked Eve into eating from the forbidden tree. For all we know, he was standing right next to her listening. Maybe thinking, “If she doesn’t bite it, I will.” After they both ate from the Tree of Knowledge and got caught, Adam said, and I paraphrase, “She made me do it!”. Man, the ultimate fade of responsibility. 

There is a reason leaders take responsibility for losses. How many times have you seen an NFL Head Coach say, “I take full responsibility for this loss.” He didn’t miss a block, or a tackle. He didn’t drop a pass or throw an interception. He didn’t jump offsides. Nevertheless, he takes full responsibility for the way the game was played. Why? Studies show that leaders who take responsibility for losses create a stronger culture, prove commitment to the team, and demonstrate accountability. Trust me, the team knows the truth. They know who made mistakes, they know if they were mentally and physically prepared. They also know that he was willing to take the heat and give them room to breathe.

Same goes for any business you can imagine. Consider any leader you know who was quick to accept the credit for even the smallest measure of success and yet throw shade on every other leader beneath him/her when quotas were not reached. Eventually there is no respect, no culture, no success. Your team will follow you to the ends of the earth for honesty, protection, commitment, compassion and empathy. But they will not follow you to the end of the block if you take unwarranted credit and cast blame. Remember humility? It’s not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.