[management by God] give credit where credit is due

Written by Dan King

Christ-follower. husband. father. author of the unlikely missionary: from pew-warmer to poverty-fighter. co-author of activist faith: from him and for him. director of family ministry at st. edward's episcopal church. president of fistbump media, llc.

November 11, 2010

Few things can crush a spirit more than the issue I’m about to discuss here.

Imagine getting assigned to a project that you’ve been dreaming about getting, and you then pour your heart and soul into it. When it’s complete, you step back and look at what you’ve done with a great sense of pride and accomplishment. You’re proud of what you were able to do. And rightly so.

So the big-wigs hear about this cool new thing going on, and inquire about it. You can sense their pleasure with your new masterpiece!

Then it happens…

While standing at your desk with the executives gushing over your work, your boss speaks up and takes every bit of credit for the work that you’ve done. Then to add insult to injury, the executives congratulate your boss on a job well done, and then never even glance in your direction again.

This actually happened to me, twice.

Both times I felt absolutely miserable. I don’t think I can recall any time in my professional life that I’ve felt so small and unappreciated. Most of us have probably been in this boat at one time in our lives.

Why is this so common? Because people, generally speaking, are selfish. So we can probably wrap up this post by saying, “don’t be selfish” and call it a day.

However, as I continue to look at Deborah in the Book of Judges (chapters 4 and 5), the next thing that I notice is that Deborah gave credit where credit was due.

In Judges 4:15, we first notice that the text is very clear about how the battle was won. Barak went out with 10,000 men following him into a battle that he was largely outmatched for, and the text then states that, “the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army.”

Granted, I recognize that Barak was there, but it’s important to notice that it must have been obvious that it was the Lord that caused them to succeed.

But it’s what happens after the battle was won that I find most interesting.

Deborah and Barak sang to the Lord (chapter 5), and did an amazing thing. They gave thanks and praise to the Lord for winning that battle. In other words, they gave credit where the credit was due.

You may also notice that Deborah even recognizes the efforts of the “commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly”. Basically she gave credit up and down the chain of command. She gave credit to everywhere it was due.

They could not have won that battle without either of those important elements, and Deborah recognized them both in her song and praises. But you’ll also notice that Deborah never once took credit herself even though she had to lead them into battle.

Questions to consider:

  • What victories are happening right now in your organization?
  • How can you give credit up the chain of command?
  • How do you think that attitude will affect other people in the organization? I’d bet that it would help to create an atmosphere of respect for superiors.
  • Considering those same successes, how can you give credit down the chain of command?
  • How do you think this will affect the attitude of the people you work with?
  • Finally, how can you act in a completely selfless way, and avoid taking any credit yourself?
  • If you do this, does it help or hurt your image as a leader in your organization?

See more from the management by God series!

3 Comments

  1. Laraj

    Thanks for this, Dude. I needed reminded today who is the REAL upper management. And also, humility is a pretty good position to take. If we all took the position of the servant, then this would never happen, right? But…I guess we have to lead the way; set the example.

    Good food for thought.

    Reply
    • @bibledude

      These times were some of the toughest in my working life, and when I most learned the importance of humility as a leader. I wonder (and think I know the answer to this) whether it’s more important to get the respect of those above you, or ‘beneath’ you… I imagine that we’d be able to accomplish more as a leader if we worked harder to gain the respect of those who follow us.

      Thanks for stopping by Laura!

      Reply
  2. Stefanie Prejean

    Exactly and this verse alone along with verses about humility should keep individuals from treating Jewish, Bahai, atheist etc soldiers badly or ” blackmailing” them. That is why I no longer respect Christianity and am glad I left ( as least faux ” Christianity” in its American form – I can’t say whether other countries honor/honored soldiers from minority groups as I don’t know if they did or not). However, Christianity in this country is more of an elitist club than individuals with real spirituality and beliefs.

    Reply

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[management by God] give credit where credit is due

by Dan King time to read: 3 min
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