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The Price of Great Leadership

The Price of Great Leadership

Apr 20, 2018 | Posted by admin | Uncategorized |

I was traveling back from New York on a business trip. My traveling partner for the trip was my boss. As a way to empower and develop me, she informed me before we left that she would leave all travel details to me. Decisions on how and when to travel, driving, directions, hotel, and expenses for the trip would all be my responsibility. As we landed on the ground at the Atlanta airport, we were ready for the final leg of our trip – the car ride back to home. I breathed a sigh of relief internally. Nothing had gone wrong the entire trip. Our bags didn’t get lost, we didn’t get lost, and I was mentally congratulating myself on a job well done.

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” Winston Churchill

It was late September and hot. I was working up a sweat while wrestling our several suitcases into the trunk of my tiny car.

Two suitcases, two carryon bags, one laptop, and two purses, we had been well prepared for any emergency on the trip and experienced none. Wishing for more trunk space, I finally fit all the pieces inside and gratefully slammed the trunk. I was looking forward to turning on the air condition on the 90- minute drive home.

As I walked around to the side of the car, I realized I had a major problem. I didn’t have any car keys. Thoughtlessly, I had set my purse and keys inside the trunk while loading the suitcases. I frantically tried to open the car door, hoping I had unlocked it before setting my keys down.

Mortified, I had to admit to my boss that I had locked my keys inside. There was a pause while she looked at me. Then, we both broke out into uncontrollable laughter. Thankfully, I still had my phone. I took full responsibility, told her I would handle it, and within an hour, the locksmith was able to get us on our way again.

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” Abraham Lincoln

Anytime we are faced with having to admit a mistake, we should face it immediately, accept the responsibility (in my case I also accepted the $60 charge from the locksmith), and then act to correct it. The sooner we do this, the quicker we can move forward.

Winston Churchill said, “The price of greatness is responsibility.” Leaders know they must take responsibility for making mistakes and act quickly to correct them when possible. Very successful leaders know they can also choose to see every encounter as an opportunity to improve.

Tags: achievementattitudeI'm ResponsibleleadershipProactiveResponse AbleResponsibility
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About admin

Like many, Ria faced adversity in life. Ria was sexually abused by her father from age 12 - 19, forced to play the role of his wife, and even shared with other men. Desperate to escape, she left home at 19 without a job, a car, or even a high school diploma. Ria learned to be resilient, not only surviving, but thriving. She worked her way through college, earning her MBA with a cumulative 4.0 GPA, and had a successful career in the corporate world of administrative healthcare. Today, Ria is a motivational leadership speaker, TEDx Speaker, and author of 10 books, including Leadership Gems for Women. Ria shares powerful leadership principles and tools of transformation from her journey to equip and empower women, helping them realize, optimize, and maximize their leadership potential.

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