How CEOs present themselves and take responsibility for both wins and losses can go on to affect their public perception down the road, with humility shielding them from some blame, Harvard Business Review reported May 31.
When CEOs take credit for the positive performance of their organizations and base the success of organizations on internal strategy as opposed to external factors, people are more likely to also attribute negative performance to internal factors driven by leadership, according to a new study. This can leave long-lasting negative impressions of the leader among the general public, the media and even the board.
To avoid such a fate, the researchers of the study recommend that CEOs employ humility and avoid the temptation of taking all the credit for positive business performance.