E-Canteen Fundas: Hey, leader! Have you heard of the 'window and mirror approach' yet?

‘I’m upset with our Students’ Union President, Ankita,’ said Rinku. ‘She’s taken all credit for the work I did for the student festival.’
‘True,’ said Rahul. ‘She takes credit when things go well, even if she hasn’t done anything, and blames others when things go wrong. Reminds me of today’s politicians. No responsibility, only credit.’
‘But that cannot be the right way to lead, right?’ asked Rinku.
‘You’re right,’ said Rakesh. ‘Most leaders take all credit so that they can project a larger than life image of themselves. On the other hand, they bring others down by misinterpreting facts so that they look better in comparison. But it’s an insecure way of leading. A good leader shares credit with the team and takes responsibility when things go wrong.’

‘What’s the right way then, bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku. ‘Taking credit and blaming others seems to be the popular modus operandi.’
‘Yes,’ smiled Rakesh. ‘It is paradoxical — but as we all know, a leader can lead well only when he or she is not afraid of losing power. Let’s look at two examples. One is of President Abdul Kalam’s talk on leadership in a YouTube video. He talks of how when he failed to launch SLV3 and put the satellite in orbit as Project Director, his boss Satish Dhawan stepped in and took the blame. A year later, when he successfully launched the satellite, his boss gave him all the credit and let him take the press conference. Simply put, when things go wrong, a good leader takes the blame and when things go right, he gives credit to others. That’s the hallmark of a secure leader — one who is not afraid to lose his position.’
‘But won’t others think we’re doing nothing as a leader?’ asked Rahul. ‘That we are only messing up things while others are doing all the good work?’
‘Good question,’ said Rakesh. ‘People are more intelligent than we give them credit for. They see results, work done and judge based on that. You cannot fool people all the time by taking credit for things you haven’t done. You will be glad to know that even Level 5 leaders, the most effective of leaders who take teams from good to great, also follow this practice of sharing credit in success and taking responsibility in failure. It’s called the 'window and mirror approach'.’
‘What’s that, bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku.
‘It’s exactly what Dr Kalam said about great leadership,’ said Rakesh. ‘Level 5 leaders pass on credit ‘through the window’ to their team when they succeed, keeping nothing to themselves. They go to such an extent that if they find no one else to give credit to, they attribute it to luck! But Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, obviously did not take that at face value. He realised that these people were great leaders not because of luck, but because they took no personal credit and stayed humble. That’s the window — pass out all credit through the window.’

‘And the mirror?’ asked Rahul. ‘It’s about taking the blame?’
‘It’s more than simply taking the blame to protect and support your team,’ said Rakesh. ‘Level 5 leaders saw failure or problems in the team as a mirror, as valuable feedback for themselves. They realise that what has gone wrong is a reflection of them and their behaviour somewhere and needs to be corrected. As the leader, they know they are responsible for this failure, even remotely. For example, if they find dishonesty or lack of commitment in the team, they see that as a mirror and ask themselves — where have they been dishonest or lack commitment in their professional or personal lives or even when it comes to themselves? All mistakes or failures by the team are, thus, seen as feedback, mirroring their leadership and themselves, with scope for correction. It’s the highest form of responsibility.’
‘Wow,’ said Rahul. ‘So, even if the security man is rude to a visitor, the chairman looks at it like a mirror. It’s extreme! What are the benefits of this window and mirror approach, bhaiyya?’
‘Many,’ said  Rakesh. ‘Firstly, the leader stays fully grounded. Their humility allows them to be aware. Secondly, by apportioning success to the team, they inspire the team to do greater work and allow them to grow further, faster. Thirdly, they look at failures or aberrations keenly and consider them as feedback. By doing so, they adapt much faster to the slightest change in the team or organisation and make corrections on the fly. So, if some junior officer was seen as corrupt, the leader questions himself and says, ‘Where am I being corrupt in my professional, personal life or with myself?’ This is a highly evolved and dynamic form of leadership. By using the window and mirror approach, Level 5 leaders get great work done with ease.’
‘Wonderful,’ said Rinku. ‘So it helps get work done in the end?’ 
‘Harry S Truman, former US President, once said that, ‘It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit’,’ said Rakesh. ‘People find recognition and meaning when they are given credit. It inspires better work from them. Similarly, they feel safe when they know the leader will not abandon them when they make a genuine mistake.’
‘Thanks, bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘I’m seeing windows and mirrors very differently now. I’ll use windows to pass on credit and mirrors to reflect on my shortcomings as a leader.’

Pro Tip: To be a Level 5 leader practice the 'window and mirror approach'. Give credit to the team when you succeed and take the blame when the team fails. Look at all failures or shortcomings of the team as feedback and correct your personal behaviours in your professional and personal dealings, including those with yourself, to address and correct those issues.