Work Matters

Indira Gandhi on Doing Work Versus Taking Credit For It

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supermoxie

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,

I had a meeting today with my colleague Huggy Rao where we were batting around various ideas about systems that are effective versus ineffective at scaling good ideas. Huggy brought up this cool quite from Indira Gandhi:

My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.

He then went on to argue that systems that bring-in, develop, and reward people in the first group  — and that expel, reform, and punish people in the second group — are likely to be more effective at spreading and implementing constructive action. Sounds right to me.

Comments

80 responses to “Indira Gandhi on Doing Work Versus Taking Credit For It”

  1. Al Pittampalli Avatar
    Al Pittampalli

    What a great quote, Bob. I think Wikipedia does a great job with this. The community is tight knit, does the work tirelessly and silently, and ostracize those that do the opposite.

    Reply
  2. Al Pittampalli Avatar
    Al Pittampalli

    What a great quote, Bob. I think Wikipedia does a great job with this. The community is tight knit, does the work tirelessly and silently, and ostracize those that do the opposite.

    Reply
  3. Al Pittampalli Avatar
    Al Pittampalli

    What a great quote, Bob. I think Wikipedia does a great job with this. The community is tight knit, does the work tirelessly and silently, and ostracize those that do the opposite.

    Reply
  4. Al Pittampalli Avatar
    Al Pittampalli

    What a great quote, Bob. I think Wikipedia does a great job with this. The community is tight knit, does the work tirelessly and silently, and ostracize those that do the opposite.

    Reply
  5. Al Pittampalli Avatar
    Al Pittampalli

    What a great quote, Bob. I think Wikipedia does a great job with this. The community is tight knit, does the work tirelessly and silently, and ostracize those that do the opposite.

    Reply
  6. Al Pittampalli Avatar
    Al Pittampalli

    What a great quote, Bob. I think Wikipedia does a great job with this. The community is tight knit, does the work tirelessly and silently, and ostracize those that do the opposite.

    Reply
  7. Al Pittampalli Avatar
    Al Pittampalli

    What a great quote, Bob. I think Wikipedia does a great job with this. The community is tight knit, does the work tirelessly and silently, and ostracize those that do the opposite.

    Reply
  8. Al Pittampalli Avatar
    Al Pittampalli

    What a great quote, Bob. I think Wikipedia does a great job with this. The community is tight knit, does the work tirelessly and silently, and ostracize those that do the opposite.

    Reply
  9. Akash Ghai Avatar
    Akash Ghai

    Awesome.

    Reply
  10. Akash Ghai Avatar
    Akash Ghai

    Awesome.

    Reply
  11. Akash Ghai Avatar
    Akash Ghai

    Awesome.

    Reply
  12. Akash Ghai Avatar
    Akash Ghai

    Awesome.

    Reply
  13. Akash Ghai Avatar
    Akash Ghai

    Awesome.

    Reply
  14. Akash Ghai Avatar
    Akash Ghai

    Awesome.

    Reply
  15. Akash Ghai Avatar
    Akash Ghai

    Awesome.

    Reply
  16. Akash Ghai Avatar
    Akash Ghai

    Awesome.

    Reply
  17. Walt Avatar
    Walt

    Humbleness
    I like the quote very much. You can sense the “humbleness” that came from its speaker that seems to be missing from much of Corporate America.

    Reply
  18. Walt Avatar
    Walt

    Humbleness
    I like the quote very much. You can sense the “humbleness” that came from its speaker that seems to be missing from much of Corporate America.

    Reply
  19. Walt Avatar
    Walt

    Humbleness
    I like the quote very much. You can sense the “humbleness” that came from its speaker that seems to be missing from much of Corporate America.

    Reply
  20. Walt Avatar
    Walt

    Humbleness
    I like the quote very much. You can sense the “humbleness” that came from its speaker that seems to be missing from much of Corporate America.

    Reply
  21. Walt Avatar
    Walt

    Humbleness
    I like the quote very much. You can sense the “humbleness” that came from its speaker that seems to be missing from much of Corporate America.

    Reply
  22. Walt Avatar
    Walt

    Humbleness
    I like the quote very much. You can sense the “humbleness” that came from its speaker that seems to be missing from much of Corporate America.

    Reply
  23. Walt Avatar
    Walt

    Humbleness
    I like the quote very much. You can sense the “humbleness” that came from its speaker that seems to be missing from much of Corporate America.

    Reply
  24. Walt Avatar
    Walt

    Humbleness
    I like the quote very much. You can sense the “humbleness” that came from its speaker that seems to be missing from much of Corporate America.

    Reply
  25. Gregory Leiby Avatar
    Gregory Leiby

    Bravo!

    Reply
  26. Gregory Leiby Avatar
    Gregory Leiby

    Bravo!

    Reply
  27. Gregory Leiby Avatar
    Gregory Leiby

    Bravo!

    Reply
  28. Gregory Leiby Avatar
    Gregory Leiby

    Bravo!

    Reply
  29. Gregory Leiby Avatar
    Gregory Leiby

    Bravo!

    Reply
  30. Gregory Leiby Avatar
    Gregory Leiby

    Bravo!

    Reply
  31. Gregory Leiby Avatar
    Gregory Leiby

    Bravo!

    Reply
  32. Gregory Leiby Avatar
    Gregory Leiby

    Bravo!

    Reply
  33. Lisa R Berlinger Avatar
    Lisa R Berlinger

    Bob (& Huggy): Thanks for this.
    A great pick-me-up today!

    Reply
  34. Lisa R Berlinger Avatar
    Lisa R Berlinger

    Bob (& Huggy): Thanks for this.
    A great pick-me-up today!

    Reply
  35. Lisa R Berlinger Avatar
    Lisa R Berlinger

    Bob (& Huggy): Thanks for this.
    A great pick-me-up today!

    Reply
  36. Lisa R Berlinger Avatar
    Lisa R Berlinger

    Bob (& Huggy): Thanks for this.
    A great pick-me-up today!

    Reply
  37. Lisa R Berlinger Avatar
    Lisa R Berlinger

    Bob (& Huggy): Thanks for this.
    A great pick-me-up today!

    Reply
  38. Lisa R Berlinger Avatar
    Lisa R Berlinger

    Bob (& Huggy): Thanks for this.
    A great pick-me-up today!

    Reply
  39. Lisa R Berlinger Avatar
    Lisa R Berlinger

    Bob (& Huggy): Thanks for this.
    A great pick-me-up today!

    Reply
  40. Lisa R Berlinger Avatar
    Lisa R Berlinger

    Bob (& Huggy): Thanks for this.
    A great pick-me-up today!

    Reply
  41. Moyo Avatar
    Moyo

    That’s a great quote that should be shared as widely as possible. Many organisations actually do the opposite and create a culture where ‘loudness’ is what is rewarded, while the quieter doers are disdained as ‘not visible’.

    Reply
  42. Moyo Avatar
    Moyo

    That’s a great quote that should be shared as widely as possible. Many organisations actually do the opposite and create a culture where ‘loudness’ is what is rewarded, while the quieter doers are disdained as ‘not visible’.

    Reply
  43. Moyo Avatar
    Moyo

    That’s a great quote that should be shared as widely as possible. Many organisations actually do the opposite and create a culture where ‘loudness’ is what is rewarded, while the quieter doers are disdained as ‘not visible’.

    Reply
  44. Moyo Avatar
    Moyo

    That’s a great quote that should be shared as widely as possible. Many organisations actually do the opposite and create a culture where ‘loudness’ is what is rewarded, while the quieter doers are disdained as ‘not visible’.

    Reply
  45. Moyo Avatar
    Moyo

    That’s a great quote that should be shared as widely as possible. Many organisations actually do the opposite and create a culture where ‘loudness’ is what is rewarded, while the quieter doers are disdained as ‘not visible’.

    Reply
  46. Moyo Avatar
    Moyo

    That’s a great quote that should be shared as widely as possible. Many organisations actually do the opposite and create a culture where ‘loudness’ is what is rewarded, while the quieter doers are disdained as ‘not visible’.

    Reply
  47. Moyo Avatar
    Moyo

    That’s a great quote that should be shared as widely as possible. Many organisations actually do the opposite and create a culture where ‘loudness’ is what is rewarded, while the quieter doers are disdained as ‘not visible’.

    Reply
  48. Moyo Avatar
    Moyo

    That’s a great quote that should be shared as widely as possible. Many organisations actually do the opposite and create a culture where ‘loudness’ is what is rewarded, while the quieter doers are disdained as ‘not visible’.

    Reply
  49. John Avatar
    John

    That is a great sentiment. I went to this online supervisor training and they taught us something similar. It is important to do the work because those are the people that actually make something out of their lives. Great post and an even better sentiment.

    Reply
  50. John Avatar
    John

    That is a great sentiment. I went to this online supervisor training and they taught us something similar. It is important to do the work because those are the people that actually make something out of their lives. Great post and an even better sentiment.

    Reply
  51. John Avatar
    John

    That is a great sentiment. I went to this online supervisor training and they taught us something similar. It is important to do the work because those are the people that actually make something out of their lives. Great post and an even better sentiment.

    Reply
  52. John Avatar
    John

    That is a great sentiment. I went to this online supervisor training and they taught us something similar. It is important to do the work because those are the people that actually make something out of their lives. Great post and an even better sentiment.

    Reply
  53. John Avatar
    John

    That is a great sentiment. I went to this online supervisor training and they taught us something similar. It is important to do the work because those are the people that actually make something out of their lives. Great post and an even better sentiment.

    Reply
  54. John Avatar
    John

    That is a great sentiment. I went to this online supervisor training and they taught us something similar. It is important to do the work because those are the people that actually make something out of their lives. Great post and an even better sentiment.

    Reply
  55. John Avatar
    John

    That is a great sentiment. I went to this online supervisor training and they taught us something similar. It is important to do the work because those are the people that actually make something out of their lives. Great post and an even better sentiment.

    Reply
  56. John Avatar
    John

    That is a great sentiment. I went to this online supervisor training and they taught us something similar. It is important to do the work because those are the people that actually make something out of their lives. Great post and an even better sentiment.

    Reply
  57. Jess - a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time Avatar
    Jess – a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time

    I think this is a very interesting concept that relies on the systemic view of business models that has important implications on scalability and long-term growth prospects of the company. If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what. I found Kaplans balanced scorecard to be a valuable tool in depth limitation of strategic value creation propositions and initiatives. Just focus on measuring the right things, not just asking managers for their opinion.
    It will shared this link on Facebook with my coworkers,it is a very interesting point

    Reply
  58. Jess - a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time Avatar
    Jess – a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time

    I think this is a very interesting concept that relies on the systemic view of business models that has important implications on scalability and long-term growth prospects of the company. If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what. I found Kaplans balanced scorecard to be a valuable tool in depth limitation of strategic value creation propositions and initiatives. Just focus on measuring the right things, not just asking managers for their opinion.
    It will shared this link on Facebook with my coworkers,it is a very interesting point

    Reply
  59. Jess - a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time Avatar
    Jess – a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time

    I think this is a very interesting concept that relies on the systemic view of business models that has important implications on scalability and long-term growth prospects of the company. If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what. I found Kaplans balanced scorecard to be a valuable tool in depth limitation of strategic value creation propositions and initiatives. Just focus on measuring the right things, not just asking managers for their opinion.
    It will shared this link on Facebook with my coworkers,it is a very interesting point

    Reply
  60. Jess - a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time Avatar
    Jess – a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time

    I think this is a very interesting concept that relies on the systemic view of business models that has important implications on scalability and long-term growth prospects of the company. If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what. I found Kaplans balanced scorecard to be a valuable tool in depth limitation of strategic value creation propositions and initiatives. Just focus on measuring the right things, not just asking managers for their opinion.
    It will shared this link on Facebook with my coworkers,it is a very interesting point

    Reply
  61. Jess - a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time Avatar
    Jess – a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time

    I think this is a very interesting concept that relies on the systemic view of business models that has important implications on scalability and long-term growth prospects of the company. If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what. I found Kaplans balanced scorecard to be a valuable tool in depth limitation of strategic value creation propositions and initiatives. Just focus on measuring the right things, not just asking managers for their opinion.
    It will shared this link on Facebook with my coworkers,it is a very interesting point

    Reply
  62. Jess - a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time Avatar
    Jess – a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time

    I think this is a very interesting concept that relies on the systemic view of business models that has important implications on scalability and long-term growth prospects of the company. If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what. I found Kaplans balanced scorecard to be a valuable tool in depth limitation of strategic value creation propositions and initiatives. Just focus on measuring the right things, not just asking managers for their opinion.
    It will shared this link on Facebook with my coworkers,it is a very interesting point

    Reply
  63. Jess - a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time Avatar
    Jess – a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time

    I think this is a very interesting concept that relies on the systemic view of business models that has important implications on scalability and long-term growth prospects of the company. If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what. I found Kaplans balanced scorecard to be a valuable tool in depth limitation of strategic value creation propositions and initiatives. Just focus on measuring the right things, not just asking managers for their opinion.
    It will shared this link on Facebook with my coworkers,it is a very interesting point

    Reply
  64. Jess - a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time Avatar
    Jess – a beginner learning spanish one enchilada at a time

    I think this is a very interesting concept that relies on the systemic view of business models that has important implications on scalability and long-term growth prospects of the company. If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what. I found Kaplans balanced scorecard to be a valuable tool in depth limitation of strategic value creation propositions and initiatives. Just focus on measuring the right things, not just asking managers for their opinion.
    It will shared this link on Facebook with my coworkers,it is a very interesting point

    Reply
  65. AJBrammer Avatar
    AJBrammer

    Agreed! I also find it helps to give the credit to your crew beneath you. It’s very rewarding and they’ll love you for it. If they look good, you’ll look good. Thanks for sharing the advice!

    Reply
  66. AJBrammer Avatar
    AJBrammer

    Agreed! I also find it helps to give the credit to your crew beneath you. It’s very rewarding and they’ll love you for it. If they look good, you’ll look good. Thanks for sharing the advice!

    Reply
  67. AJBrammer Avatar
    AJBrammer

    Agreed! I also find it helps to give the credit to your crew beneath you. It’s very rewarding and they’ll love you for it. If they look good, you’ll look good. Thanks for sharing the advice!

    Reply
  68. AJBrammer Avatar
    AJBrammer

    Agreed! I also find it helps to give the credit to your crew beneath you. It’s very rewarding and they’ll love you for it. If they look good, you’ll look good. Thanks for sharing the advice!

    Reply
  69. AJBrammer Avatar
    AJBrammer

    Agreed! I also find it helps to give the credit to your crew beneath you. It’s very rewarding and they’ll love you for it. If they look good, you’ll look good. Thanks for sharing the advice!

    Reply
  70. AJBrammer Avatar
    AJBrammer

    Agreed! I also find it helps to give the credit to your crew beneath you. It’s very rewarding and they’ll love you for it. If they look good, you’ll look good. Thanks for sharing the advice!

    Reply
  71. AJBrammer Avatar
    AJBrammer

    Agreed! I also find it helps to give the credit to your crew beneath you. It’s very rewarding and they’ll love you for it. If they look good, you’ll look good. Thanks for sharing the advice!

    Reply
  72. AJBrammer Avatar
    AJBrammer

    Agreed! I also find it helps to give the credit to your crew beneath you. It’s very rewarding and they’ll love you for it. If they look good, you’ll look good. Thanks for sharing the advice!

    Reply
  73. crowdSPRING Avatar
    crowdSPRING

    Well If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what.Really great post..It is worth to read..

    Reply
  74. crowdSPRING Avatar
    crowdSPRING

    Well If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what.Really great post..It is worth to read..

    Reply
  75. crowdSPRING Avatar
    crowdSPRING

    Well If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what.Really great post..It is worth to read..

    Reply
  76. crowdSPRING Avatar
    crowdSPRING

    Well If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what.Really great post..It is worth to read..

    Reply
  77. crowdSPRING Avatar
    crowdSPRING

    Well If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what.Really great post..It is worth to read..

    Reply
  78. crowdSPRING Avatar
    crowdSPRING

    Well If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what.Really great post..It is worth to read..

    Reply
  79. crowdSPRING Avatar
    crowdSPRING

    Well If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what.Really great post..It is worth to read..

    Reply
  80. crowdSPRING Avatar
    crowdSPRING

    Well If you measured the right things and reward people who indicated that value actions, expelling people to take credit for the people who worked is much easier, because the indicators show who did what.Really great post..It is worth to read..

    Reply

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