JS Tip 527: Respecting Those Who Do the Work

Brigadier General Charles Canham was an Assistant Division Commander of the 8th Infantry Division during World War II. He’d landed with the nightmare first wave on Omaha Beach. He’d been injured on the beach. He was now in charge of accepting the Nazi surrender in the French city of Brest. 

Canham and a squad of his soldiers went to the Nazi headquarters. The Nazi commander—who, as a lieutenant general, outranked Canham by two grades—arrogantly demanded to see his credentials. 

Canham pointed to the tired, dirty, and bloodied soldiers with him and said, “These are my credentials.”  

The Aftermath

The New York Times reported the exchange as the greatest tribute ever paid to the real power of the American Army, the individual soldier.  

The 8th Infantry Division adopted the phrase as its motto: “These are my credentials.”

The Lesson

Give credit where credit is due. We are leaders only because of those who follow us. We owe them respect. As we give them respect, they may—depending on the quality of our leadership—respect us in return.

We love this stuff.

We’re grateful to Michael Thomas of B*R*E*C  for suggesting the tip. Thank you, Michael.