Entrusted to you
"Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses." Mitt Romney
Oxford dictionary defines entrust as assigning responsibility for doing something and to put something in someone's care or protection. I love the latter part of that definition because it captures the essence of leadership - placing the care and protection of an organization, its property, and its people in a leader's hands.
In Dr. Henry Kissinger's book "Leadership. Six Studies on World Strategy" he describes an interaction with former General and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower, at that time several years removed from the presidency and in poor health, was still advising then National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger in the early days of the Richard Nixon presidency (circa 1969) on the structure and conduct of the National Security Counsel (NSC). Nixon had served as Eisenhower's Vice President.
Notes from an NSC meeting covering sensitive information about options for the United States' response to the growing presence of the Soviet Union in the Middle East leaked to the media limiting the President's options. A furious Eisenhower phoned Kissinger to scold him about the breach in security and its impact on the NSC and the president. Kissinger, unclear of who leaked the information, defended his office by stating that "they had only been in office two months and done their utmost to protect sensitive information in that period." Eisenhower's rage turned fatherly when he replied, "Young man, (Kissinger was 46 at the time) let me give you one fundamental piece of advice. Never tell anyone you are unable to carry out a task entrusted to you."
I smiled when I read that, reflecting on times when I sternly and fatherly told a young officer the same thing. Eisenhower was talking about ownership. Dr. Kissinger did not personally leak the information but the entire NSC enterprise was under his charge - his care and protection. It was his responsibility to ensure sensitive information was kept secret.
It might seem unfair to pin responsibility and subsequent blame on a leader who did nothing personally wrong, but it is proper. This is why not everyone chooses to be a leader. Dr. Kissinger was responsible for creating and enforcing a system where sensitive information was kept from the media. He was responsible for ensuring the right people were on the team, no matter how large it was. He was completely responsible. Eisenhower knew well this concept of ownership. He had drafted a speech accepting failure (if it had failed) for the invasion of Normandy, France on D-Day. "If any blame attaches to the attempt, it is mine and mine alone."
Dr. Kissinger shares that interaction is his book as one of his greatest lessons in leadership. What is entrusted to you? What will you entrust in others? In leadership, be very clear of what and who is placed in your care. Take complete ownership.
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell