LEADERSHIP IS RESPONSIBILITY, NOT POWER PT 3

Although M.K. Gandhi was referred to as Mahatma (Super soul) he disliked being called Mahatma Gandhi. For Mahatma Gandhi, the title was not important; freedom for India was more important. He moved with the masses, associated with them and served them like an ordinary an. Hence, top leaders do not believe in titles or positions, but they emphatically believe in undertaking responsibility and doing their jobs successfully.
Seeking a leadership role in any organization or group is a laudable objective. Using the power of leadership to define, seek and achieve a group objective can be both satisfying and rewarding. However, one must understand and never lose sight of the fact that the power of leadership always comes with the requirement to be a responsible leader. Power used for the sake of power is an abuse of leadership. In the end, the responsible use of power not only enhances power, it defines true leadership.
The idea of not only taking responsibility (as our responsible leader above does) but going beyond that and seeking it out would, unfortunately, blow the spec of many “leaders” in those roles today. The simple notion of looking for more areas to be responsible for is a completely foreign concept. The thing is, it’s a factor that truly differentiates outstanding leaders from their peers.
Here’s the notion; after you’ve taken responsibility for everything that occurs (or doesn’t occur) in your world, take a giant step back and figure out where else you can have a positive impact in your organization.? A huge benefit of this principle of seeking responsibility is that great leaders right their own houses and spread their influence into the darker recesses of the organization. When they seek responsibility, many times those responsibilities come in the form of larger roles or taking on work their immediate manager used to perform (ostensibly freeing that individual up to take on larger responsibilities themselves). The growth and advancement of both individuals and the organizations as a whole are embodied in their leadership principle. Seeking responsibility is good for all involved. You benefit because you’re building skills and expanding your capabilities. You also benefit because people around you see you’re dedicated to changing the organization for the better rather than simply being satisfied sitting around collecting your paycheck.
Your team benefits because they get to see a great example of true leadership that they’ll hopefully emulate. Your boss benefits because she can expand her own responsibilities and grow her skills while you take things off her plate to enable her to do so. The organization benefits because everyone is growing and seeking to do the right thing on a larger scale.
So please – never throw someone under the bus if they’re on your team. If thy make a mistake, you’re responsible for it. Chucking people under the bus saves you in the short term but you’ll soon find you’ve run out of bodies to chuck because they’re either all bus crushed or they’ve fled the scene to avoid being the next sacrifice to the bluebird gods. Second – look for ways to expand your responsibilities and do so for the good of the organization. Subordinate your interest to those of the greater good and you’ll do fantastic