Give credit outward, take blame inward

Why this rule exists

Credit and blame are the two currencies a manager spends, and the exchange rate is not intuitive. When things go well and you point to your team, their standing rises and yours does too, because everyone can see whose leadership produced it. When things go badly and you absorb the blame publicly, you buy your team the safety to keep taking risks. Reverse this, grab credit and deflect blame, and you'll find people quietly stop bringing you their best work, or their honest mistakes.