As a leader you’re going to get credit for things you had virtually nothing to do with. When praise comes flowing your way, spread it around. This is an opportunity to brag on your people. And when the praise comes back around to their ears, they’ll love you for it. There will be many situations wherein you can’t possibly list all the people that deserve credit–it’s enough to deflect off yourself and praise the team. NEVER steal credit. Don’t fish for credit. And resist correcting people if they steal credit from you.

Similarly, you’ll receive negative criticism and blame for things that you probably don’t deserve. Listen carefully–if there’s something in there for you to learn from, you want to weigh it and own it. When you’re being blamed, work to not spread the blame around. Absorb it, shoulder it. Don’t throw your people under the bus. If corrective measures are needed, handle those as privately as possible. And again, when your people hear that you took one for the team, they’ll love you for it.