Leadership:
Taking Responsibility for Our Choices
I had dinner recently with my close friend, Sarah. She is a
mid-level manager at a large technology firm. She is not happy at work, and she
lamented her work situation during our meal. If "R & D" were
smarter, she would be happy. If Sales would listen to her, she would be happy.
If Management would connect to what is going on in the firm, she would be
happy. If she did not have to commute every day for an hour each way, she would
be happy.
The following day I had a similar conversation with a
client. Janet is the CEO of a sizeable corporation. It is her team's fault that
she is overworked. Because of their incompetence, Janet is so busy that she has
little time to spend with her family. She is out of shape because her workload
leaves no time for exercise. If her team were better, the organization would be
more profitable. Then the board would not come down so hard on Janet.
It happens to all of us. We realize that things at work or
in some aspect of our personal lives are not going the way we want them to go.
Deftly we find other people or outside circumstances to blame for our
dissatisfaction. Thus, we avoid taking responsibility for personal choices that
perpetuate the problems we face.
Shifting blame for our problems away from ourselves
eliminates our need to take charge of our own lives. By blaming other
circumstances or other people for our problems, we avoid taking responsibility
in our jobs, in our families or in our communities. We abdicate leadership. We
give our power away to the people or the organizations around us. Then we
become frustrated when the results we want are not forthcoming. Having stepped
out of leadership, though, we are powerless to make effective changes toward
our goals.
We regain our power to affect change when we recognize that
our choices, whether conscious or unconscious, and our actions create the
circumstances around us. Although we will have to face the fears that come with
change, it will be in recognizing that we have options that we will become
empowered again. We will reclaim leadership.
Sarah can continue to be angry and dissatisfied with her
work situation or she can choose to do something positive about it. Janet can
choose to be frustrated because her team is not performing to her expectations
or she can take action and change the team's performance for the better. Each
woman needs to choose. Either she is going to stand on the sidelines and be a
victim or she is going to step up, claim responsibility and be a true leader.
It is not always easy to take responsibility for our choices
and our behavior. Many times, in fact, it is quite difficult. As we reclaim
accountability, though, we realize that we are capable of being effective
leaders. We become the authors of own stories. We create our own destinies.
This is the heart of what it means to be a leader.
- In what area of your life do you abdicate
responsibility?
-
What choices do you avoid making?
-
What actions do you need to take?
I am interested in your thoughts and comments about
this article. Is it helpful? Why? Why not? Send your comments to me at
Bill@PullenAssociates.com.
