Giving Credit: The Most Underrated Leadership Strategy
Somebody Did the Work. Did You Say So?
Think about the last time your team pulled off something significant. A grant that came together under brutal deadlines. A curriculum overhaul that actually improved evaluations. Now think about who got the credit.
If you're a physician leader, there's a good chance the answer is you. Not because you claimed it. But because the system defaults to crediting the person at the top. And if you didn't actively redirect that credit, it stuck to you. Giving credit as a leadership practice is one of the simplest things you can do -- and one of the most commonly neglected.
Why Leaders Stop Giving Credit
It's rarely intentional. Most physician leaders I coach aren't glory hogs. They're busy. They're juggling clinic, committees, and administrative fires. When someone above them says "nice work on that initiative," they say thanks and move on. They don't think to say, "That was really Sarah's design" or "Marcus drove that from start to finish."
The omission isn't malicious. But your team notices. They always notice.
The Research Is Clear
Adam Grant, organizational psychologist at Wharton, makes the case in Give and Take that leaders who consistently attribute success to their teams build higher trust, stronger loyalty, and greater willingness to take on hard work. A 2022 Gallup workplace study backs this up: employees who feel adequately recognized are five times more likely to feel connected to their organization's culture. Academic medicine is not exempt. Physicians and researchers are still humans who want their contributions to be seen.
What Physician Leader Recognition Actually Looks Like
This doesn't require a formal awards program. It requires attention and intention.
- Name people in meetings. When presenting results to a dean or leadership council, say who did what. By name.
- CC up, not just down. When a team member does strong work, copy their work into an email to someone who matters in their career trajectory.
- Be specific. "Great job" is forgettable. "Your analysis of the patient flow data changed how we staffed the afternoon clinic" is not.
- Do it publicly when possible. Private praise is good. Public recognition in front of peers and leadership is a different category entirely.
Think of it like a coach at a post-game press conference. The best coaches don't talk about their own play-calling. They talk about the players who executed. That's not modesty. That's strategy.
The Uncomfortable Part
Giving credit means sometimes getting less of it yourself. That can feel risky, especially if you're navigating promotion. But here's what I've seen consistently: the leaders who redirect credit generously end up with more influence, not less. Their teams perform better. Their people stay longer. And senior leadership notices the results, which is the credit that actually matters.
The Takeaway
If you lead a team in academic medicine, start paying attention to where the credit lands. Then start redirecting it. It costs you nothing and builds everything.
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