Pull Up A Chair #5

I’ve been sitting with a question that feels simple on the surface, but says everything about leadership: Who gets credit?

Early in my career, I remember saying, “I created a slide deck for a client.”

My manager quickly corrected me: “We created that.”

At the time, I didn’t understand. I had done the work—late nights, revisions, final polish. Why “we”?

Her response stayed with me: you’ve been shaped by so many people—teachers, teammates, leaders—that none of your work is entirely your own.

There’s truth in that. We don’t lead, build, or create in isolation.

But there’s another truth we don’t talk about enough.

I’ve also experienced what happens when “we” quietly becomes “I” in the wrong hands.

I’ve had leaders remove my name from work and replace it with theirs.

I’ve watched colleagues describe shared efforts as solo accomplishments.

And I’ve felt what it’s like to hear something you poured yourself into told as if you were never there at all.

That kind of ownership isn’t leadership. It’s insecurity, dressed up as authority.

So what does good leadership look like here?

It’s not choosing between “I” and “we.”

It’s knowing when—and how—to use both with integrity.

Strong leaders:

Use “we” to honor collective effort, culture, and shared success

Use names to recognize individual contribution with precision

Use “I” to take responsibility when things go wrong

They understand that credit is not a finite resource to hoard—it’s something to distribute thoughtfully. Because here’s the truth:

When leaders take all the credit, they may win the moment.

But they lose their people.