Followers also consider the leader’s actions. A leader who has done something that could
explain a change in performance will be attributed more responsibility for it. Leaders who take
direct actions that appear relevant get more credit for performance improvements than leaders
who do not. Direct actions that are highly visible to followers influence attributions more than
indirect actions that are not visible. The importance of direct action is increased when followers
perceive an immediate crisis. A leader who acts decisively to resolve an obvious crisis is considered
highly competent, whereas a leader who fails to take direct action in a crisis, or whose action
has no apparent effect is likely to be judged incompetent. The uniqueness of changes made by
a leader also influences attributions about the leader’s competence. Leaders who make innovative
changes in the strategy (what is done or how it is done) get more credit for success and more
blame for failure than leaders who stick with a traditional strategy.