They take responsibility. They don’t give excuses or blame. You can always tell a great leader because they never spend time pointing fingers or calling people names. Instead, when things are not going well they ask a simple and powerful question: “What role have I played in this problem, or how have I contributed to the outcome?”
The natural tendency for most of us is to say, “I didn’t do anything; it’s the ________’s fault!” And you can fill in the blank with anything that has truth: the economy; a competitor, sales person, or manager; the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, and the list goes on. In truth, there is always more than enough blame to go around.
This article was inspired by an argument I heard on the radio this week about the “entitlement generation,” you know, the young people who want everything handed to them, who don’t want to work, who want to sponge off mom and dad. Sure there are a few slackers out there, ready to take advantage of the system. Those folks have existed in every generation. But let’s flip that around for a moment.
Who were the ones handing out trophies to EVERY player regardless of whether they won or lost? Who was the one hovering at school and fighting their children’s battles for them? Who was the one saying “You can be anything you want, you’re great, you’re perfect, you’re a superstar,” regardless of ability. It wasn’t the kids! What the ruling generation is calling the entitlement generation is the by-product of the ruling generation’s own behavior and choices. The young people didn’t create this culture; they learned it. The question is from where?
What would happen if we stopped the name-calling, the blaming, the finger pointing and the criticism and asked the simple question: How have we contributed to this outcome? If instead of calling them the “entitlement” generation, we merely referred to the next generation, and saw them as an extension of ourselves, how might we respond to them? How would it feel to look at the role we have played in their growth, development and outlook on the world?
Leadership is challenging. It takes work to solve problems and it takes courage to seek solutions because you might find out you were wrong. Leadership takes responsibility and doesn’t blame or give excuses.
Ask about your own role, and you might find the origin of the problem. In addition, you may just create a culture of solution-focused team-building rather than a culture of self-preservation. Then, perhaps, you will actually solve problems. Once you remove all the language around blame and deflection of responsibility, all that’s left is truth and possibility.
Leadership is a behavior, not a position. Behave responsibly.
