Good Leaders Don’t Take Responsibility

Nick Saban is arguably the greatest college football coach of all time. He had a combined win-loss record of 297-71-1, 11 SEC championships, 7 national championships out of 9 appearances, 4 Heisman Trophy winners, and 49 first-round draft picks. But, in order for him to be the greatest coach of all time, he had to have understood a great deal about leadership. One does not accrue that much success without being able to lead others well. So, while it must be pointed out that Saban is a Catholic who most likely denies much of Protestant Christianity, I still believe there are several lessons Christian leaders can glean from his imperfect example.

Perhaps my favorite attribute of his leadership was his selective refusal to take responsibility. I don’t mean he would refuse to take accountability for criticism; what I mean is that he knew how to absorb all blame upon himself when things went poorly and credit everyone around him when things went well. In this sense, he knew when to take responsibility and when not to. Scripture shows us at least three key reasons why every leader must master this skill.

Christ-like Leadership

First, Christ set a similar example through his own life and death. He, the blameless God-Man, bore our iniquities so that we could one day hear from our Father in Heaven, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21) Are we to believe that God’s redeeming grace and power play no part in any action he commends? To assert such a thing would be foolish. Yet, despite God being the one who empowers us to carry out good works in his name, he still assigns praise to us. (Philippians 2:12-13) How could he do this without lying if it really was his enabling that allowed it to take place? The answer is simple: Man is still exercising moral agency. The Spirit works hand in hand with us to bring good works to fruition, meaning it is simultaneously a work of the Holy Spirit and the believer. (Galatians 5:16-17) The two are inseparable. So, the believer is constantly giving glory to God for his enablement, and God is praising man for his obedience.

All leaders must seek to reflect this example given by Christ. The leader, like Christ, must take all external blame upon himself and shield his team from it. He should consider it a failure if he ever allows public reproach to fall on his team instead of squarely on himself. Imagine if Satan accused you of your sin and Christ simply replied, “Yes, he has done that awful thing. I told him not to, and he did it anyway.” Thankfully, that is not the Gospel. Instead, Christ bore our sin upon himself so that we will not be put to shame (1 Peter 2:24) and even continues to intercede before the Father on our behalf. (Hebrews 7:25)

If Christ, who was perfect and without sin or failure, can take our sin upon himself, how much more must the imperfect and sinful leader bear responsibility for his team’s failures? When things go wrong, leaders feel the temptation to shift fault onto others. No one wants to admit they failed. Sticking with the football context, a coach may be tempted to tell the media that if the wide receiver had just run the right route or if the offensive lineman had made the right block, then things would be different. Those concerns may be legitimate, but a leader should address them in private. When pressed by those outside his team, his response must instead be, “I failed to put my team in the right position to succeed. My responsibility is to ensure everyone under me is prepared to execute the game plan, and I did not accomplish that. The blame falls on me.”

But a leader can’t simply say the blame is his. He must also act as if it is his. When someone under you fails, the fault is ultimately yours. If a wide receiver did not run the correct route, then that is evidence the coach either did not allot enough time to memorize the playbook or has allowed someone onto the team who isn’t disciplined enough to learn it. If the offensive lineman didn’t make the correct block, then he didn’t dedicate enough practice to the blocking scheme. In short, good leaders might say the blame is theirs, but great leaders will believe the blame is theirs.

The Body of Christ and Her Glory

Second, Scripture teaches us that all members of the Universal Church are different parts that make up the entire body. (1 Corinthians 12:12-27) Naturally, some of those body parts receive more honor than others. One tends to value his eyes more than his feet even though both serve different, albeit important, purposes to the larger body. Leaders generally fall into the “more honorable” category because they are the most visible. They are generally the first and only ones to receive criticism when things go poorly and praise when things go well. Rarely do those who serve the body as the hands, the feet, the neck, the lungs, etc. receive praise from the outside.

Therefore, a selfless leader will not only shield his subordinates from external criticism, but he will also ensure all credit goes to them as well. A wise leader will understand that others rarely notice his subordinates. He knows that he is typically going to be the only one to receive any commendation by the nature of his role. So, when that leader is praised for the success of his group, he will wisely refuse to take responsibility. Instead, he will shift it to those who follow his lead. He should work tirelessly to see that those in his charge are properly acknowledged; otherwise, they may never be noticed at all. By doing this, he is not minimizing the importance of his authority. He is simply acknowledging that it takes more than good guidance to accomplish great feats.

The First Shall be Last

Third, when Christ’s apostles were fighting over who would receive the highest honor of sitting at Christ’s right hand, he rebuked them and told them that those who sought to be first would be last, but those who sought to be last would be first. (Matthew 20:20-28) In other words, the one who strives to receive the greatest honors over his brothers would end up receiving the fewest. Leaders often face the temptation to desire the glory of men because good leaders will obtain it often. If he wants to protect himself from this desire, he must make a practice of taking responsibility when his team fails, but refuse to take responsibility when they succeed. This benefits both the leader and his followers.

First, the leader is protecting himself from an over-inflated ego. The tough-skinned leader will constantly receive criticism, some founded and some unfounded. This criticism will force him to constantly reflect on the areas in which he can improve. Similarly, when he refuses to claim the credit for himself, he is also protecting himself from pride. Second, those in your charge benefit as well. When subordinates see their leader take the blame for their mistakes and later credit them for the group’s success, that pattern inspires them to follow. They want to follow because they know they can trust the one in charge. They have both seen their leader stand up in their defense and sing their praises publicly. That makes it much easier to submit oneself and receive private criticism.

Conclusion

So in short, a leader must sometimes refuse to take responsibility. When criticism comes, he must endeavor to bear it himself, but when commendation comes, he must deflect it to his team. When a leader does this, he will be following Christ’s example, building trust with his subordinates, and protecting himself from unchecked pride. So, master the art of deflecting credit and see how it not only serves you, but serves those who follow you, and pleases God in Heaven.