One of the best parts about leadership growth is investing time to reflect on your past and identifying leadership lessons to share with others. In the early 90’s, I was meeting my wife at the local car dealership to check on getting her automobile serviced. My 4-year-old son was sitting in the passenger seat of my truck, and my 2-year-old daughter was strapped into her car seat in the middle next to me. It seems like yesterday when I pulled into the new car dealership within a few yards of my wife’s car outside the service area as she spoke with the car attendant. After a few minutes, I decided to put my truck in park and get out to check things out. All of a sudden my wife shouted “your truck is moving”. I immediately turned around and tried to grab the gear shift to put into park. I finally opened the door and put my foot on the brake and shifted into park… right after it rammed into a brand new car. I looked over and my daughter had found a way to get out of her car seat and lean on the steering wheel and gear shift which put my truck in drive. I looked over at my son and said, “Why did you let her do this?” He looked at me with his straight face and said, Dad, I didn’t know she could drive!” After smiling, I immediately knew one thing was true… I needed to take responsibility for this accident by not turning off the vehicle when I decided to get out of the truck.
Many times we don’t think about the importance of responsibility which is a relative for the 
word accountability. When we say we are going to do something, are we committed no matter what gets in the way? How about goal setting and follow-up? When we fail, do we think about who’s fault it was, or do we look for the gaps to close when we face the situation next time.
I once heard Robin Roberts say that her mom would always tell her to “make her mess her message”. Taking responsibility is critical to moving forward in your leadership growth.
- What business or personal goals have you identified for you to make a difference?
- Is there a policy that needs to be changed, but it will take a group effort for success?
- What are some things you can do in 2016 to help advance your career?
Call to Action: Take some time this week to identify 2-3 goals that is your responsibility and try to move them forward. You might want to reach out to a mentor or someone who you know for leadership support. They will enjoy helping you achieve your goals for success.
This has been a “Relocation Minute” update on “Responsibility and Accountability” with Bruce Waller, For more information, call 972-389-5673, or email bwaller@goarmstrong.com or check out our my social media Facebook and twitter page.