Dear Mr. & Mrs. Leader “It’s All Your Fault!”
The term “Leader” carries a great deal of responsibility. Once a person obtains the title of Leader, they also get the bonus baggage of “The bucks stops with me!” No matter how you slice, sugarcoat, twist, manipulate or make excuses for organizational outcomes; the bottom line is that “It’s All Your Fault!”
Leaders are generally comfortable carrying the “It’s All Your Fault” tag when their team, area or organization is experiencing success. When things take a turn for the worse, wins are hard to come by and “Big Mo” has left the building; the excuses will begin to roll like the Alabama Crimson Tide, or for the sake of the BCS conversation roll like the OSU Cowboy offense. Stop with the excuses, stop blaming your team and look in the mirror, because “It’s All Your Fault!”
Sometimes it may not seem fair for the leader to take all of the blame, as they don’t have control over every decision that others make. There are simply too many variables that are out of their control. Leadership is not about fairness, and the responsibility nature of it is just part of the game.
I remember having a conversation with a leader who had dotted line responsibility for one of the team leaders under my tutelage. They asked me the following question about this particular team leader, “Is so-and-so’s area successful because of their leadership or in spite of their leadership?” My answer was, absolutely because of that particular leader and not in spite of. If things were failing and falling apart it wouldn’t be in spite of that particular leader. It’s a two-way street.
Dear Leaders, if your organization is failing, people are leaving, people are not being developed, people are not growing, people are unhappy, leaders are not rising to the top, momentum is long gone and you can’t seem to spell suczcess. “It’s All Your Fault!” If things are great and success is happening, enjoy the season because “It’s All Your Fault!”
There is no need to complain about the outcomes, just embrace the reality. Next time your boss starts complaining and making excuses, simply look them in the eyes and say “It’s All Your Fault!” Keep in mind, just because it’s their fault doesn’t mean they won’t pull a Donald Trump on you and look you in the eyes and say, “You’re Fired!”
The person who complains about the way the ball bounces, is likely the one who dropped it. ~Lou Holtz
What do you think?
