Something interesting has happened in the last 2 or 3 days in some of my social media outlets. I wrote “As a leader, in business or otherwise, do you take responsibility for your actions and for the results that you are obtaining?”

To my surprise, this comment has been very well received. Some people are asking me what I meant, in context, while others have told me how this little comment had made their day!

To those who were inspired by it… truly… thank you. Very humbling!

For those who would like more context about it, here is what I can say about it.

Many people truly understand when they hear somebody say “I am the manager and the buck stops with me.” What they mean is, regardless of what his/her employees are doing or not doing, as a manager, he/she is taking responsibility for their actions, as any good leader will do. Especially, when the outcome is not according to plan. This is somebody who is self-directed.

If you don’t take the responsibility for your actions, or inactions, your behavior is what is called: “outer directed.” This is where you blame your surrounding circumstances, like the weather, lazy employees or even your childhood, to justify your own inability to perform and to take responsibility.

I know this from personal experience, and it wasn’t until it was pointed out to me, that I realized this. Of course, at first, I struggled with it. “Not possible”, I said. I always take responsibility, and then, being an expert at “Outer Directedness,” I began blaming others and the current circumstances as “things” that I couldn’t control, which were creating the situation, in essence blaming others.

That’s when it clicked. So the questions becomes, can you see this type of behavior in yourself? Being outer directed is not good nor bad, it is who you are, like me, this is how I am, as long as we keep it in check.

This is something that I will always work on. But the first step, and most important, I believe, is awareness. If you are aware of this, or any other limitation that does not serve you well, then you can work on it.