Well said – your comment offers both sound thinking and sage counsel Susan. Technical competency and leadership acumen while often confused, are not always one in the same. Thanks for sharing.

Regarding your bottom line that "everyone wants to be in charge, but few are willing to take ownership". I'd add that the best leaders are not only both personally responsible and accountable, but also are effective at eliciting that mindset and behavior in others. We do not give near enough attention to the latter as a critical skill in developing leaders and still end up with far to many people in high level positions who rely on authority rather than effective practices to deliver results.

Hi Tom:

Thanks for your comments Tom. I'm always appreciative of being able to glean insights from experienced leaders such as yourself. From my perspective the issue isn't that struggles exist regarding subordinate leaders executing the vision and plans set forth by upper level leadership, for this is certainly a struggle in many environments. Rather the real question should be why such struggles exist in some organizations and not in others. It all boils down to leadership ability. Why do some leaders make the right hires, deploy talent properly, get the right amount of buy-in, align expectations, understand the value of delegating authority , have value alignment, etc., while others fail to do so? I've been around long enough to see all types of leadership styles both succeed and fail. The issue isn't the type of leadership structure utilized, but whether the leadership structure meshes with the talent, culture, context, etc. In the end, it's important to note that your 10% initiation and 90% follow-up will work in any structure if done well. Thanks for sharing Tom…

Hi Jim:

I think you worked your way through answering your own question 🙂 I agree that your point is not contradictory, in fact, I believe it is accretive in that a broader and deeper base of leadership only adds value to an organization. I think you summed it up well by stating that: "…the best leaders are creating leaders…" – Indeed. Thanks for adding the keen insights Jim.

Those that accept responsibility for the team's results and do what it takes to make the team successful eventually succeed.

Thanks Dan…

I agree that the essence of great leadership is found in the acceptance of personal responsibility. Thanks for the great observation Dan and have a great week Sir.

All I can say to that is "Hooah". You echo the very essence of one of my favorite aphorisms with this post "The leader of any unit is only as good as the weakest member of his team". Great leadership entails personally assuming responsibility for every "hot potato", praising others for all accomplishments and inspiring others to think and act likewise.