Responsibility in the Business World

"Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility . . . . In the final analysis, the one quality that all successful people have is the ability to take on responsibility." - Michael Korda

I recently read "Being the Boss" by Linda Hill and Kent Lineback, a book that details the imperatives for becoming a great leader.  The book has many paradoxes of the business world.  One of these is "You are Responsible for What Others Do."  As a manager of a project or a team, one must be able to answer to a vice president or an upper-level manager about flaws in projects, initiatives that may be failing, etc.  It's hard to know what everyone else is thinking, so being a leaders requires remaining calm, but knowing what the team is doing to try to make the project more successful.  

As I grow and develop in the business world, and someday am promoted to manager, it's always important to remain humble.  Many managers focus on their rights and status, instead of being responsible and accountable for their team, projects, and actions, all duties that come with the title.