Accountability: You can delegate Responsibilities, but you can’t delegate your Responsibility.

“The President, whoever he is, has to decide. He can’t pass the buck to anybody. No one else can do the deciding for him. That’s his job.

- Harry S. Truman, Farewell Address, January 15, 1953

Are you a buck passer?  

One of the most essential qualities of a leader is the ability to take accountability for failure and seek solutions, rather than pointing fingers. It’s easy to assign blame to others, but it’s ultimately your responsibility to solve the underlying problems.  Others have the luxury of being critics. Asking difficult questions but having no answers of their own. Anyone can look at a situation and point out where people are going wrong, but only leaders will correct them and get them going in the right direction.

Experience helps. If you’ve navigated challenging situations before, you’re better equipped to guide others. But if you’re new to leadership, start with a question one of my mentors, Jan Williams, used to ask:

“How do you eat an elephant?”

The Answer: “One bite at a time.” 

Don’t fixate on outcomes (success or failure) but on the process. Focus on the small, daily steps that lead to results. When you invest time in understanding and refining the process, gaps become clear. You can identify the steps that your people are not following and explain how, if they followed those steps, success would be easily achieved. You will provide them with the tools they need, not only for their current needs but also for their future careers. 

As a leader, you are tasked with handling the hot potato. To make the difficult decisions and come up with the best solutions. It can be tempting when the pressure is on to place the blame on others, but this will only be a temporary reprieve. This will create a culture of backbiting and avoidance, where no one takes ownership.

Eventually, the excuses run out.

You would be better served to hold yourself to the highest standard. When you do, your accountability sets the tone. And when you hold others to the same standard, they will be more receptive to your critiques and your leadership.

“The Japanese have a saying, ‘Fix the problem, not the blame.’

Find out what’s f**ked up and fix it. Nobody gets blamed. 

We’re always after who f**ked up.

Their way is better.”

- Captain John Connor, Rising Sun