Ways to Nullify Leadership: Take All the Credit

One of my favorite episodes from the TV sitcom The Office, is the Golden Ticket episode. In the episode, Michael Scott comes up with an idea to put several golden tickets inside various boxes of paper that were being shipped to customers. Although he put the tickets in different boxes, they were all part of one pallet shipping. When their biggest client received the pallet with multiple Golden Tickets, what seemed to be a great idea turned out to be a not so great. Each Golden Ticket offered 10% off an order, so their biggest client was due to get 50% off a huge order. 

The CFO of Dundee Mifflin, the company Michael Scott worked for, called Michael to figure out who’s idea it was to give multiple golden tickets to their biggest client. Worried and anxious, Michael asked Dwight, one of his co-workers, to take the blame. If you know anything about the show, you know that Dwight would do anything for Michael. In this case, Dwight refused. 

The CFO eventually traveled to the branch to personally talk to Michael. Surprisingly, the Golden Ticket turned out to be a great idea and David, the CFO, wanted to congratulate the person who had the idea. Although Dwight had initially decided not to say the idea was his, he chose to take credit once it was revealed that the idea was in fact brilliant. Angry and confused, Michael tried to have Dwight at least communicate that the idea was in fact his but Dwight refused.

Michael’s frustration hit a peak and he decided to tell David that the idea was his. When asked what he expected David to do, Michael said, “I want all the credit and none of the blame”. 

Leadership is nullified when we refuse to take responsibility. When we focus on taking credit but not blame, we cash in our leadership chips. A leader who thinks they are the sole reason why things are successful, but not the reason why things are dysfunctional, has nullified their leadership.

Insecure leaders have to remind people that their leadership is the reason why others are successful. 

Leadership is about others. It’s about giving others the credit. If we make our leadership about us, then we will be like Michael...those that want all the credit but none of the blame. 

Who can you give credit to today?