The CEO of a tech company was under pressure to make the presentation of his life.

Despite the company’s success, it was at a pivotal moment in its history. Company leaders felt they had created a transformative new product, but they had to get the rest of the world to agree. The CEO was about to deliver a keynote address to reveal the product to shareholders and customers, and he knew he had to nail his pitch.

Then, he did something unexpected.

Rather than making the moment about himself, the CEO invited various team members to demonstrate key features of the new product. He showed the world that the presentation wasn’t just about him—it was about the collaborative effort of the team members that made the innovation possible.

As I reflect on this story, it strikes me that unmanaged recognition is fickle.

We’d like to believe that everyone will naturally get the credit they deserve, but that’s not true. Without guidance, even the most thoughtful team members will sometimes fail to recognize each other for good work. Or, with the best of intentions, they recognize only the work that they see, missing the work of less visible team members.

Leaders, then, have the responsibility of distributing recognition. It’s up to you to make sure credit goes to the right people taking the right actions.

This implies three very important leadership sub-responsibilities:

First, knowing who’s doing what. This requires periodically stepping away from the macro to understand the micro. It also means hiring managers who have the same willingness to distribute recognition.

Secondly, keeping track of who’s getting the credit. It’s only when you see the whole system that you can create consistent recognition. I once worked with a team who would only nominate their own department members for the company-wide recognition program. Their efforts were (semi) well-intentioned, but it made a program that was intended to be collaborative feel like a rigged game.

Third, leaders must ensure that they don’t inadvertently monopolize credit. Ego boosts and recognition are part of the leadership game. However, leaders do well to make sure that team accomplishments come before personal accolades, not the other way around.

Incidentally, the CEO mentioned earlier was Steve Jobs, and the product was the iPhone. Apple and the rest of the world have never been the same since that presentation at MacWorld in 2007.

Jobs’ willingness to share the spotlight underscores the principle that innovation thrives in an environment where each member’s expertise is celebrated. It highlights the power of teamwork over personal recognition.

The duty to distribute recognition isn’t just a responsibility; it’s a hallmark of organizations where the best ideas win and the best contributors are motivated to keep growing.