Success in Giving Others Credit

Getting credit is great when it’s deserved, but is it why we do things? In growing our business from 2 to 200+ people, the dynamics have changed dramatically. We try to hire the best and we often succeed, but we are still human. Our motivations shift, some get ambitious and some want to build empires, some want to be in control, and we all want credit for the work we’ve done or the ideas we’ve brought forward.

What if we let go of the idea of credit? What if we let the credit go to the people in the positions we aspire to attain? What if we gave credit to a peer or colleague? Our ego’s instant reaction is that they would look like rockstars and we would not, but let’s consider this for a second: What if helping others look like rockstars made you the go-to person, the person whom your peers and colleagues appreciate the most and in reciprocate want to help you succeed? What if wanting that credit is just your ego? Would you not be fulfilled in your great ideas flowering in someone else’s hands? How about your great work being appreciated by many without direct congratulations?

Enjoy the work. Share your ideas. Empower your colleagues and peers. Focus on making others succeed and you will succeed.

This doesn’t mean a bunch of ass kissing or telling people someone else came up with the ideas you came up with. Rather it’s recognizing where you can help others achieve and helping them do it. This can be as easy as a conversation, giving them ideas from your perspective, or connecting the dots with someone else you think might be able to help to create forums for collaboration.

At the end of the day, it was you who empowered your peers, your colleagues, your team, your company, which, in turn, empowers you.

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