When the team wins, leaders say “we.” When it loses, they say “I.” That’s the whole job.

Taking the blame and handing out the credit is the part of leading that actually costs something, and it is what makes people willing to follow you into the next thing. Doing it the other way round is easy and everybody notices. The words are small; what they signal is who carries the risk.

Next time something you were part of goes badly, resist explaining who else contributed. Say what you would do differently. Then when it goes well, name the others before you name yourself.