Give Credit Where Credit is Due
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Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends. General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower
At one time or another, most of us find ourselves in a position where we receive praise for some success. The achievement may be a job well done, an inspection in which our unit was rated exceptionally high, an award for some act of heroism or service.
In all of these circumstances, the Master of Ceremonies or the Commander presenting the award may describe our accomplishments and assignments with great enthusiasm.
He may enumerate the decorations and awards that we have received. He describes us as if we can walk on water. In fact, the speaker may imply that we have accomplished that feat in the past! This bountiful praise is expected and generally accepted by the audience as the introducer’s way of recognizing and showing appreciation for our modest accomplishments.
The audience may be impressed and, if we have any humility, we will be embarrassed. However, we can easily put the more than generous compliments in perspective. We can give credit where credit is due.
Our Leadership Manual states “Leaders who demonstrate selfless service – Give credit for success to others and accept responsibility for failure themselves.
Whatever success we may have achieved undoubtedly had to come about because of the prodigious efforts of our subordinates – by those sometimes faceless and ignored individuals who toil on what may be mundane tasks to bolster the team’s efforts.
We can demonstrate a gracious humility, win the appreciation of our subordinates, and deflect the lavish praise to where it belongs by saying something like this: “Whatever I have accomplished is a result of the support that I received from the many outstanding Soldiers who helped me along the way. Without their help I would have accomplished little.
I would be nothing. I know who did the work; I know who did the heavy lifting. I would be remiss if I did not give credit where credit is due.” That is not only accurate but also fitting. The troops will recognize and appreciate this probably unexpected recognition.
Of course, giving credit where credit is due – even lavishly – is appropriate, and generally pays great dividends by increased effort on the parts of our subordinates. All of us like our efforts to be recognized, particularly by our boss.
There are many ways that we can recognize the contributions of our Soldiers and civilians. They include awards, passes, public praise, and unit newsletters. Brigadier General Willard Pearson, Commander, 1st Brigade (Separate), 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam initiated the policy of citing in brigade general orders heroic combat actions.
A common practice during the Civil War, citing individuals assures both immediate recognition and provides support for formal award.
Recognition does not always have to be limited to individuals. The “Turning Blue” ceremony for Infantry Soldiers who have completed Basic Training and the Senior Status Review for OCS provide an opportunity to recognize a unit or groups of individuals. Banner Days or Family Days, while focusing on the unit or teams, provide another opportunity to acknowledge achievement.
When Major General Courtney Whitney was asked why General MacArthur was great, the former answered, “It was because he made his men feel that their contribution was an important one – that they were somebody.” One of the better ways to give credit is to write thank-you notes. Personalizing your expressions of appreciation pays great dividends because they are both justified and usually unexpected.
Sherman’s march through the South had been strongly opposed by the leadership in Washington. Grant, however, defended Sherman’s daring gambit. When it proved successful, it was widely acclaimed. Since he had approved the strategy, Grant would have been blamed if Sherman had failed. However, Grant magnanimously gave “the credit to Sherman saying, ‘the question of who devised the plan of march from Atlanta to Savannah is easily answered: it was clearly Sherman, and to him also belongs the credit of its brilliant execution.’” While Coach Bear Bryant came on the scene many years after Grant, Bryant acted in accordance with Grant’s advice. “There’s just three things I ever say. If anything goes bad, then I did it. If anything goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes really good, then you did it. That’s all it takes.”
If Grant could give credit where credit is due, so can we. We will never regret it.
Colonel Ralph Puckett was an inaugural inductee into the United States Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 1992 for extraordinary valor and distinguished service as a Ranger qualified leader. He formed, trained, and commanded the Eighth Army Ranger Company in Korea as a second and, later, first lieutenant. He earned the Distinguished Service Cross, his first of two, for his actions on November 25-26, 1950. Puckett’s other decorations and awards include two Silver Stars, three Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars, the Commendation Medal, ten Air Medals, and five Purple Hearts. For Colonel Ralph Puckett’s full list of achievements, and information on his new book, “Words for Warriors: A Professional Soldiers Notebook,” please visit: http://www.ralphpuckett.com/.
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