Leadership Characteristics:
What Every Leader Who Wants
Success Ought to Be Doing
Out of all the leadership characteristics that are key to success, this one lands at the top of the list as most important: Taking Personal Responsibility for Your ActionsThat's why this item, "I take responsibility for my achievements AND my errors." is included in the 22 Wake Up Eager Secrets, free Wake Up Eager quiz. This page includes another free online quiz for you, My Celebrating Success and Taking Responsibility Quotient Quiz. This quiz helps you assess how strong you are in the personal responsibility area. On this page you can also access a complimentary workbook with exercises designed to help you strengthen here.
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Why this is one of the top leadership characteristics for success: "Accepting full responsibility for every little thing in your life,
Friend, is what opens the floodgates to joy and power.
Or to what we here call 'joypower.' Every little thing,"
--- The Universe It's empowering and freeing to 'own up' to all the good you've created AND all the issues. No covering up and no defensiveness leads to faster forward movement. Helping you and others move from a focus on the problem, to generating solutions. If you're good at this your team will more than likely trust your intentions and model your behavior. They'll tend to own up more quickly when things go awry, and will also feel free to celebrate when things go well. As a culture, we hate it when people don't own up to the things they've done wrong. HATE IT... United Airlines leaders failed in this most important of leadership characteristics area... In this real life example 6 million people, people like you and me, watched this video. Most of us rooting for the underdog singing group: Sons of Maxwell. (4 minutes, 38 seconds) Push the arrow to play: United Breaks Guitars VideoI wonder why it took so long for the company to take responsibility. Earlier, would have been better. Does their slow response reflect a culture of leaders who probably score low in the "taking responsibility for your actions" area? Uhhhh....yes I wonder if the leaders of United are now trying to change a culture that was lacking this key leadership characteristic. By now this video has gone viral. This story has been covered in the New York Times, on CBS News, won the group Digital Artist of the Year award and was as one of the top videos on all of YouTube. Yes, we HATE IT when leaders, people, anyone shirk their responsibility.A nightmare for United. "Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility...
In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people
have is the ability to take on responsibility."
---Michael Korda, Editor-in-Cheif, Simon & Schuster
How Do You Know?So, how do you know if you're not strong in this most important of all leadership characteristics? I've noticed, maybe you've seen it too... People who ace the leadership characteristics of taking personal responsibility and celebrating success, often believe they need to improve. And, people who aren't very good at taking responsibility often think they're strong! We call this having blind spots
- strengths and weaknesses others can see,
that we don't -
that's why they're called blind spots! (BTW, we ALL have 'em) To better measure your strengths and development opportunities in this area, use this complimentary online quiz. Free: My Celebrating Success and Taking Responsibility Quotient Quiz, now.Get My Free Quotient Quiz Results Now*Full Disclosure:
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I recommend that you Print This Page Now,
that way you can refer back to this information again...So, did you take the quiz? Did you ask others to rate you in these leadership characteristics and behaviors? Their perceptions and insights may reveal blind spots - strengths and issues you didn't know were there. Bill Brooks (1945-2007) was a powerful speaker, author, business owner and leader who had a positive influence on me.
He revealed in a training class, after he'd reviewed his own leadership characteristics assessment, the following: Note: I am paraphrasing his comments... "How can this assessment say I'm lower in Personal Accountability? I'm a go-getter. I get things done! I think I always take responsibility."
Someone close to him, heard his statements, took him aside and shared, "Bill you ARE great - but you're NOT strong in Personal Accountability. Think about it - when something's late or not done right, what do you usually say?"
Bill laughed. "Okay, you're right. I don't take responsibility for everything that happens. I guess I could get stronger in this area..."
Bill was a dynamo. Loved by many. An excellent leader who found he could build his own leadership characteristics, to be an even greater leader, by improving in this area. Can you relate? Are you blaming others more than you think? Have you ever: - Blamed traffic/truck drivers/slow drivers for being late to an appointment?
- Blamed your hectic schedule for the reason you've put on a couple of pounds?
- Blamed your spouse for your bad day?
"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces
is likely to be the one who dropped it."
---Lou Holtz People who always take responsibility, on the other hand, would have handled these same situations like this: - Admitted that they should have left a few minutes earlier for their appointment.
- Acknowledged that, while being stressed because of a busy time, they've been skipping the gym and eating junk food more often.
- Accepted that no one is to blame for their bad day, other than themselves.
Most us can improve in this area. And being strong here is one of the best stress management tools and leadership characteristics, because to fully realize that we create our own reality is more empowering, than being or feeling victim to others or circumstances. That's because we can control our responses and actions. We cannot however, control others at least not for very long. Building These Leadership Characteristics: Taking Responsibility Workbook
Download this free workbook and worksheets here. (Opens a new window.) Here's what you get in the workbook:< - Specifics @ what strength in this area looks like.
- Four practical, actionable self development exercises with worksheets for tracking progress.
- Specific actions for improvement in this area.
- Additional development resource links
As you are putting the exercises to work from the free workbook, remember and use this affirmation: "I am responsible for all of my thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions to all situations."
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Your Comments, Thoughts, Questions
and Suggestions Here...Do you agree or disagree that this area is one of the top and most important leadership characteristics? How has this skill impacted your career and work life? Have you found great tools or experiences that have helped you improve in this area? Have you discovered what works and what doesn't? Do you have any tips that would benefit others who are focused in improving in this area? Share Your Experiences and help grow the Wake Up Eager Community. I am not collecting emails from this page.
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Like a Balanced Teeter Totter
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So many great thought leaders on this page! Choice and responsibility must balance. The more choices we get the more responsibility we must take.
It ...
Easier to Abdicate Responsibility and Complain
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This is a great topic! Responsibility for our actions is absolutely critical to a career and in all facets of life. All to often I hear people bemoan their ...
Truth Will Always Show...
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Excellent assessment tools and information. Thank you for sharing this with us. Integrity, honor (honesty) and responsibility are essential to long-term ...
This Is More Important Than Integrity - It's...
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The ability of a person to take real responsibility is directly related to the integrity they demonstrate which is a reflection of their character.
We ...
Suggestion: Invent an "I CARE" Meter
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t would be nice if someone would invent an "I CARE" meter that we could attach to prospective new employees.
Taking personal responsibility starts with ...
A Sports Example - At All Comes Down to Leadership
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Yes, good input Doug. I'm back just because I have another example from my former sports participation. I had 2 coaches in high school. Basketball and ...
My Accountability and Integrity are My Net Worth
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Great topic, Suzie! In my opinion, personal responsibility is everything. For me, my accountability and integrity is my net worth. At the end of the day,...
Showing Inner Strength and Resilience
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I agree. In my opinion, taking personal responsibility for your actions is essential for someone in a leadership role. Not only does it show your employees ...
Avatar Training Worked for Me
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For me it was simple. I took the Avatar Course in 1993 and learned how to take responsibility for my thoughts and beliefs as well as my actions. Since ...
This Is the Place of True Strength
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I think one of the most important qualities of a good leader is humility. At the core of our essential nature, we are humble.
When we are humble in ...
Who Would Follow You?
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Well I think it is pretty simple. Integrity and dignity. If you don't take responsibility for your mistakes then no one will respect you. You probably ...
There's a Big Shift Emerging...
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To take personal responsibility is to actually take control of a situation rather than allowing oneself to be a victim or martyr.
There is a big shift ...
Doesn't Always Have to Be Public
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Whenever I've coached anyone on this topic, they usually end up agreeing that it is the right thing to do. We can take responsibility in many ways - and ...
Being Responsible Does Not Always Mean You're to Blame
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Great topic! I think that this is one of the hardest lessons that we have to learn in life.
Being responsible does not always mean that you are to ...
My Number One Tip Is...
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I agree that taking personal responsibility is one of the most crucial leadership characteristics and, unfortunately, is not as widespread as it should ...
"IF I Offended Anyone..." Is NOT Taking Responsibility
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Personal responsibility is one of the cornerstones to real leadership, if you define leadership as the ability to gain willing followers to a given course ...
An Art to Not Be a Door Mat or a Phony
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It is an "art" to be able to take personal responsibility for our actions without becoming a "doormat" (always taking blame) or a "phony" (claiming the ...
The Rotarian 4-Way Test
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As a Rotarian, I follow our 4-Way Test. In all things we say and do,
1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and ...
My Personal Responsibility Guidelines
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Without a doubt agree to "Taking personal responsibility for your actions is crucial to success in any career, esp. leadership."
In a leadership role,...
It's Really Up To Me
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Susie, I could not agree with you more. We are all responsible for our own actions, and my definition of "growing up" is to take responsibility for your ...
To Thine Own Self Be True - FIRST
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Interesting. I once worked for a company that "claimed" to have this philosophy. The truth was that they applied it only OUTWARDLY and held the employees ...
Out of Favor, But Making a Comeback
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Hi Teddi, What a wise Mother! I've not heard that one before I like it!
I think Ethics in general have been out of favor especially in the latter half ...
Rarely Looking Anywhere Else
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1. Buy a small mirror and just before you sharpen your real or metaphorical finger to attribute blame, check the mirror first!
2. Recognize the 3 choices....
My Mom Told Me
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My mom told me that when I had my finger pointing at someone else, there were 3 fingers pointing back at me.
Responsibility is a character trait that ...
Not a Failure Until You Blame Someone Else...
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Hi Suzie, love the link and am now following you on Twitter as well!
I totally agree. My father used to say, "No one is a failure, until they blame ...
Napoleon Hills Attributes of Leadership
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I totally agree that to be a succeed and/or be a leader you have to embrace taking full responsibility for your actions!
The following is Napoleon Hill'...
Can Be Fatal
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I believe improvement comes in two ways: 1 - managers are responsible for holding their employees accountable for deadlines and promised work.
If deadlines ...
100% Me, 0% Outside
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One must take personal responsibility for their life... I learned this by being a student of Responsibility Centered Leadership(www.rcl-inc.com) and further ...
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