I could hear the tone in his voice before the conversation even began.
The guilt, the burden of blame. “I’m doing everything I know to do. But nothing is working. I still believe she has potential, but she doesn’t want to adapt and change.”
He said it as sort of an apology to me – that he wanted to be an IMPACTFUL LEADER but felt he wasn’t.
I paused, to let him empty the glass. “That is not on you. You own the responsibility to provide leadership, guidance, and accountability. But, it’s up to her to implement the lessons.”
You responsibilities are:
- [ ] To be a resource for them not to do their job for them.
- [ ] Your role is to help them tap into their inner genius. To open up the possibilities that empower them.
- [ ] Your role is to hold them accountable for the daily actions that produce results.
- [ ] Your role is to be there for them when they fall to ensure they get back up.
- [ ] Your role is to continually support them, yet not support bad choices.
A person’s success is their opportunity (you play a role), but it’s their responsibility (they play the lead).
In taking a leadership posture, you model strong supportive boundaries.
So that when they eventually succeed (which rarely happens within our preferred timetables) they gain the evidentiary confidence of knowing they can achieve when committed.
Success is not an absolute because we have provided the foundation. The end-results are the cause and effect of doing the work. Our role is to mentor the proper behavior’s, attitudes, and work-ethics. Commitment is not a given, but it is a prerequisite.