Taking Ownership
“Players win games, coaches lose them.”
This is a saying that every fan of football has heard at some point in their life. The saying itself is used to indicate the specific role of both the player as well as the coach. It is also meant to show who takes ownership of the victory and of the defeat at the end of a game. When things are going great, all praise should go to the players. When things aren’t doing so well, the scrutiny will land on the coach.
Rightfully so, in my opinion.
This quote on taking ownership, however, is not exclusively useful on the football field. Because when it comes to being a leader, you are always in the hot seat. As commander of the ship, it is up to you to steer your crew away from danger and keep them on course. Any burdens will be added to the weight that you already carry on your shoulders. This is why I’ve said that leadership isn’t easy. It isn’t made for everyone. It sure isn’t as glamorous as a lot of people assume it to be.
There is, however, a method to the madness. The purpose for this thought on leadership is to maintain a positive outlook for your team members. To protect them from any upcoming obstacle is the true test of a leader. You can tell a lot about the person in charge by observing how they behave during failures.
Do they get angry and blame others? Do they automatically assume that the failure was at the fault of an employee? Or do they take the time to access the situation? Do they stick up for their team, and accept the fault as their own?
There is a not-so-fine line between an effective leader and an ineffective leader. A good leader will be noticed soon. A poor leader will be noticed immediately. Being a leader means that you must take ownership of all of the bad things that may happen to your team.
And then, finding a way to fix them.