I've learned....

…that you should never take credit for someone else’s victory.

I love the History Channel. Not the crap they have on there though with rednecks fishing for alligators or “noodling” for turtles. I have no interest in that business. However, give me a weekend of Revolutionary War documentaries or anything involving WWII strategies and I’m in nerd heaven.

Last week was the 4^th of July. While most people spent Wednesday morning icing down their beer or getting the homemade ice cream started, I spent the morning curled up on my couch with my coffee watching the first of 12 hours of Revolutionary War documentaries. I didn’t get to see all 12 hours…but to my nerdy relief…found that you can download it from Netflix.

Most of the episodes focused on General George Washington and many of his ill-fated early battles. They went into gory detail about how under-funded our rebel army was and how completely over our heads we were when it came to duking it out with the greatest military presence of the time. Much of what they highlighted was either stuff I never learned about in school or had just simply forgotten.

However, out of the many generals they talked about that I didn’t remember at all…one name came up that EVERYONE knows…Benedict Arnold. This man’s name has been vilified and added to the list of those found in very specific realms of hell along with Judas, Hitler, Nero, etc. Does the guy deserve to be a part of that infamous list? By the history books he was one of the most notorious traitors in our country’s history. What many of the history books leave out is that he was also a highly decorated general in the continental army. He was instrumental in securing the fort at Ticonderoga, he went into debt by donating so much of his own money to “the cause”, and had it not been for his daring leadership the battle of Saratoga would have gone a different direction.

Sadly, throughout his military career Benedict Arnold had been consistently “passed over” for promotions by congress in favor of more politically essential war heroes. At the battle of Saratoga, General Gates not only wussed out and nearly cost us the battle, but later went on to take credit for Arnold’s wise move and ultimate success on the battlefield.

Watching that made me ponder…”Would I have reacted in the same way if my loyalty had been brought into question and the credit for my success been taken by someone else?” In my professional career I have always made an effort to acknowledge the successes of others. I pride myself on being a team player and putting the success of the team above my own personal success. Has it hurt me? Of course! I’ve been stabbed repeatedly in the back by people I thought were friends or at least team-mates. I think as a woman it’s difficult to feel entitled to “toot out own horns”. We’re raised to be demure and unassuming. Boys, on the other hand are raised to relish in their success and tout it…without being a braggart of course.

My point here is this; I’ve learned to never take credit for something I didn’t do or for someone else’s success. By taking someone else’s well deserved, and hard earned, credit you cannot know just how quickly you’ll turn a great patriot into a hated traitor…just ask Benedict Arnold.