Serving Bread

The best corporate leaders never point out the window to blame external conditions; they look in the mirror and say, “We are responsible for our results!” Those who take personal credit for good times but blame external events in bad times simply do not deserve to lead our institutions.

– Jim Collins, “Fortune Magazine” May 8, 2008

It is tempting and common among humans in general to take credit for good times and blame external factors in bad times. But I like Jim Collins’s insight that leaders must take responsibility for both the successes and failures of their institutions. Leadership doesn’t necessarily mean that we thrive on success and only on success in our tenure.

Like a marriage, there will be good times and bad, and leadership is being responsible during both seasons. It is always tempting to give ourselves too much credit when things are going well and to blame everyone but ourselves when things are not going well. If anything, humility may entail that we should err on the side of giving others credit when things are going well and taking responsibility when things are not going well. I’m not suggesting that we engage in some form of poor self image, but that the first question we ask in successful leadership is: How did others contribute to the success of this? And when things are going poorly, we first ask: How did I contribute to this failure?

This is not easy. I rarely want to take responsibility for failure. I fear of what it says about me and my character if I am found to be an imperfect leader. But as Collins says, the people who are not able to acknowledge their responsibilities in failure do not deserve to be in leadership.