Leadership Quote by Arnold H. Glasow

Leadership advice often fails because it flatters the person already in charge. Glasow’s line does the opposite: it makes leadership sound like a slightly unfair bargain you accept on purpose. The phrasing is calibrated for a business context where incentives are backwards - executives are rewarded for wins and insulated from losses. By insisting on “a little more” blame and “a little less” credit, he’s not preaching sainthood; he’s describing a practical strategy for earning legitimacy in systems built on competition and ego.

The subtext is psychological. Teams don’t follow titles; they follow risk distribution. When a leader absorbs blame, they lower the personal danger of doing bold work. People take smarter chances because the penalty won’t be individualized and humiliating. When a leader deflects credit, they create a scarce resource: recognition. Scarcity makes it meaningful. The move also prevents the most corrosive office dynamic: the sense that management harvests victories and exports failures downstream.

Glasow’s “little” is doing heavy lifting. He’s not advising martyrdom or performative humility. He’s warning against the extremes: the boss who hogs applause becomes resented; the boss who hoards blame becomes feared. The “little” keeps the exchange credible and sustainable, signaling self-control rather than self-sacrifice.

In an era of CEO-as-celebrity and brand-first management, the quote reads almost countercultural: leadership as accountability theater only works if the leader is willing to take the hit when it counts, and vanish just enough when the cameras turn on.