From the time we are young, we are told, "You have to take responsibility for things!" "You are RESPONSIBLE for your own destiny." "You have no one to blame but yourself."

I have bought all of that throughout the years. Not only did I buy it, I sold it to my own children in raising them to acknowledge not only their successes but also their failures. I instructed them to see their own shortcomings in situations rather than blame the goof-off sitting next to them and to look for a solution that involved rising above the idiots or the slouches rather than crumple in frustration and blame. I tried to employ this throughout my adult life attempting to never unloading the disappointments onto others' plates but looking for what I could have done differently to avoid the mistake or what I could have done more of to increase or change the results.

As the years tick by, sweeping along like an accerating clock, and as the breadth and girth of the responsibilities grow heavier and deeper, it appears to become more difficult to grin and say, yep, it's me! I'm the one who failed! I didn't do enough...I missed something that would have made a difference etc. All of this arrives with the ever-more-loudly knocking new companion of Middle-age that brings with it, its friends: forgetfulness and insomia.

While our ambition rages on and our dreams grow bigger, understanding that our responsibility now encompasses greater more intricate marching orders--preparing those around us to learn their roles and grasp the same ambition and integrity we possess. All of this will help us to continue to embrace the same feeling of a job well-done that we have known up to this point.

Growing stronger in our ability to impress the clarity and strength of our tasks and goals onto those we lead and providing the tools of training these folks to action are key activities to maintain the feeling of being responsible for a job well done. This should be what we strive for.