Hard chargers typically have a leadership issue. Their single-mindedness which creates opportunity, momentum and results, is usually driven from a strong ego. Egos are hard things. They bruise easily.
Mistakes will happen. When you are working with people, your leadership quotient can be measured by how easily you take responsibility, especially when mistakes happen.
Your people will trust you if they see you taking responsibility. When things go wrong in your organization or system, it starts and stops with leadership. Something is broken. Otherwise, you have a deficient system which requires heroics. Heroics are left to continual variables.
Here’s what happens when you shun the responsibility that is apparent to everyone: you are throwing people under the bus. If you grab all the glory when things go right and push all the blame down, then the inherent demotivation will undermine your overall leadership.
Want to grow as a leader? Be quick and concrete in your praise, especially with those you lead. Defer personal glory. Assume responsibility and blame for things that don’t work when it is your leadership that has caused issues for others. This is the kind of leadership people respect and follow.
What do you think?
