Responsibility might be the most important leadership quality on this list. Think about how leaders are distinguished in school. Generally, it is the child who is responsible that is said to have leadership skills. Responsibility does not make someone a leader, but a person cannot be a good leader unless that person is responsible.
If you think about the role of a leader, there is a lot of inherent responsibility demanded by the job description. A leader is responsible for the decisions of the employees that work under him. This doesn’t apply to every decision. If an employee decides to speak disrespectfully to a vendor, that individual could see repercussions, but that wouldn’t necessarily apply to the boss. However, employees who are able to make major decisions in the company can put the leaders at risk as well if they make a bad decision that can make a big impact on the company. Good leaders will share this responsibility rather than throwing the employee under the bus. Even if the leader does not willingly take on blame for instances like these, a portion of the responsibility will fall on him for not knowing what is going on beneath him in the company.
Beyond being responsible for employee actions is not the only thing for which leaders must be responsible. A leader must also be responsible for his or her own actions. As a leader, you are constantly in the spotlight. Everything that you do will go through scrutiny by your employees, your peers, your board, your customers, etc. This means that every action you make needs to be thought through. Rash and impulsive decisions can lead to distrust from your stakeholders. At the end of the day, a leader must be responsible for the choices he makes and will be held accountable for bad decisions.
Lastly, a leader is responsible for his or her work. As a leader climbs the corporate ladder, there is increased expectation about the level and quality of work that that individual will produce. When you are the leader, you cannot give a project less than 100% of your effort. If you find yourself in a situation in which you know that you will not finish everything that is expected of you, it is better to delegate a portion of the work to a trusted employee than to turn in less than satisfactory work. Leadership comes with expectations of greatness, and you have a responsibility to uphold these expectations.
As your children start the journey towards leadership, make sure you are holding them accountable. Responsibility is one of the most important lessons that you can teach a child in his or her formative years. If a child can hone this skill in his youth, he can continue to improve and become more responsible as an adult.
- Bria