{"id":4761,"date":"2015-07-06T19:42:05","date_gmt":"2015-07-07T00:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scottcochrane.com\/?p=4761"},"modified":"2015-07-06T19:43:23","modified_gmt":"2015-07-07T00:43:23","slug":"debunking-the-it-doesnt-matter-who-gets-the-credit-myth-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottcochrane.com\/index.php\/2015\/07\/06\/debunking-the-it-doesnt-matter-who-gets-the-credit-myth-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Debunking the \u201cIt Doesn\u2019t Matter Who Gets the Credit\u201d Myth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated from July 8, 2011 post<\/em><\/p>\n

It happened again this week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was on the phone discussing a new initiative with a leader, when all of a sudden he used one of the well-worn leadership axioms, “Well, just think of what our team can accomplish if no one cares who gets the credit.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

That quote is usually attributed to Harry Truman.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, both Truman and this leader who quoted him are just wrong.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It really does<\/span>\u00a0matter who gets the credit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

The sentiment underlying the statement is noble enough. The idea is that we don\u2019t want our cultures to be infected by grandstanding players, vying for individual attention. I get that.<\/p>\n

But the idea that you, as a leader, ought to be unaware as to who keeps coming up with your team\u2019s best ideas is not in the best interest of your team, your culture or your leadership.<\/p>\n

It really does matter who gets the credit.<\/p>\n

You need to know the relative strengths of your team players. You need to know who it is that is consistently, and disproportionately, generating the initiatives that are creating the most \u2018wins\u2019 for your organization. And for that to happen it needs to be \u201cokay\u201d in your culture for those top performers to be recognized.<\/p>\n

They need to get the credit.<\/p>\n

Jack Welch calls this \u2018differentiation\u2019. On his\u00a0website<\/a>, Welch puts it this way; \u201cCompanies win when their managers\u00a0make a clear and meaningful distinction<\/em>\u00a0between top and bottom performing businesses and people.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you have bought into the idea that \u201cit doesn\u2019t matter who gets the credit\u201d step back and ask yourself these questions:<\/p>\n