Leading at Light Speed is a must-have leadership book by Eric Douglas highlighting the 10 Quantum Leaps to build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization.

Quantum Leap #10 is all about Helping People to Assume Responsibility.

Are you able to alter your own behaviors to achieve higher levels of performance? Are you able to ask powerful questions that enable other people to assume responsibility and perform as effective leaders in the organization?

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill

To assume responsibility invariably means making a personal choice. This statement points to an important truth: No one can tell you to change. Committing to change means making a choice. You have to choose to assume responsibility for the way things are and for making them better.

In order to truly assume responsibility for improving things you must first understand this paradox: We cannot see what we want to become. We can only catch a glimpse of it, and only then in our best moments. Assuming responsibility means asking a series of questions: “What do I truly envision for my organization? What do I want to hand down to future generations?Reaching your full potential as a leader requires trust in a better course – one that’s invisible to you now. Remember: The word leader comes from an Anglo-Saxon root word “leith” that means “to be out in front.” This root word also means “to die.” It’s important to understand that building a new life means shedding parts of your old one.

Once you start tackling these questions seriously, the door opens to all sorts of possibilities. You can discover natural allies, appropriate teachers, and the supports you need to create. You have to take those initial steps in order to change. Over time, you will come to see that highly effective leaders are continually scrutinizing their behaviors, accepting responsibility for them, and shedding parts of their old lives to build a better one.

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