Equity is Doable, Part 4: Give Credit Where It Is Due, Every Time – A Blog Series by Ryan Adcock

At Cradle Cincinnati, we believe that if Cincinnati’s employers and service providers are more equitable, our birth outcomes will be more equitable too. Conversations about racial equity are often filled with academic jargon and can feel more philosophical than practical. This is the fourth in a series of posts where we will outline real life decisions we are making in an attempt to grow into a more equitable organization. 

One of America’s hardest-to-shake myths is that of the rugged individual who achieves success all by themselves. The fact is that every Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey in the world has hundreds if not thousands of people working hard to make them look so individually successful. Even musicians or athletes who step into the spotlight by themselves have huge teams behind them making sure that they are ready.  

As a nonprofit leader, I’m frequently the one presenting our team’s collective work to crowds of people, the one receiving awards and recognition, or the one in front of the camera. And I’ve come to learn that, unless I go out of my way to specifically credit my teammates by name, it is easy for the message I unintentionally convey to be “I did this.”  

Cradle Cincinnati is a team effort. Not only the team of people who report to me, but hundreds of partners and families who have stepped into the work. The truth is that I have very little to do with some of our most brilliant work. Perhaps the most obvious example is our extensive work engaging moms to be a part of leading our community’s change. Professionals on my team like LaTasha Hambrick, Deborah Polk, Amy Clasgens, Crystal Brown and Josselyn Okorodudu are brilliant in these settings. They make moms feel welcomed and loved. Let me be clear here: It is not that I do not have the time to do that work – I literally could not do it. I do not have the skills. Still, I get credit on a regular basis for our extensive community outreach. I’m making it a rule to not let a single instance of this go by without naming the folks who are actually responsible for it.   

Try this simple rule: when talking about someone’s work, name them. Boost their resume. Call them out. There is a version of this that we’ve all heard that I think too frequently comes off as false modesty. It goes something like this “well, I couldn’t do it without my team.” Better, I believe, is this: “Well, I couldn’t do it without Lauren Everett. She’s thoughtful, organized and regularly makes me smarter. Here is her email – you should really get to know her.”