You’ll know you’re a leader when people come to you with problems instead of hiding them.

Leadership gets measured by what reaches you rather than by what you are called. When people hide mistakes, it usually means telling you has been expensive before, and the information stops arriving at exactly the moment you need it most. When they bring bad news early, you have built something harder to get than authority. How you reacted the last few times decides which version you get.

Pay attention to your response the next time somebody admits a mistake to you. Handle the problem first and the blame later, if at all.