One of the failings of a leader/manager is to grab or take credit whenever it presents itself. For example a leader who has been tasked to lead a taskforce would always take credit for whatever accomplishment that his team would achieve. Thus he would always attribute to himself any achievement that they accomplish.
For example, in the presentation of his task force’s accomplishment he would shamelessly say: “I discovered that something was wrong in the organization’s procurement process that’s why I decided to discontinue it.” He would always use the subjective I to prop-up himself so that he would always be in the starring role. And the members of his taskforce remain faceless individuals as if they did not contribute anything for the team.
This kind of leader/manager is an ego tripper or somebody who is so full of himself. He purposely omits the fact that it is the task force that he leads that made the achievement. Therefore the credit should be to the task force and not exclusively to himself.
There are many managers/leaders who thinks and acts that way, they think that it is a plus factor if they would always be in the limelight. What they don’t know is the more they grab credit or hunger for prominence the more that they are being silently ostracized by their subordinates and peers. The credit conscious manager/leader may not immediately notice it but there are already rumblings in the organizational hallway about his selfish and arrogant behavior.
So what is the cure? The cure is lots and lots of humility and to realize that whatever accomplishment that a taskforce or a department achieves must always be credited to the team and not to oneself alone.
Subjective word such as I should never be used when a leader/person is a member of a team or taskforce or when referring to the achievement of his department. Instead of I the inclusive word We should be used for the simple reason that all of the members should be given credit.
An egotistical and self-centered leader/manager has no place in an organization for the simple reason that when we speak of an organization it means membership or grouping of people. Thus self-centered and egotistical people should not be there! – Marino J. Dasmarinas
