Dr. Jay's Blog

In my recent experience at the Grove City College commencement, a comment was made by the guest speaker, Elizabeth Dole, that caught my attention.

She was commenting on qualities of her husband's leadership that had affected her and perhaps the one that most got my attention was a quote that he had made from his personal hero, President Dwight David Eisenhower.

It was in reference to the two speeches that he had prepared for V-Day, which was June 6, 1945. One speech was if the assault was a success. The other was if the assault was a failure. His exact words were "If the assault does not succeed, it was made with the best available intelligence, the most trustworthy consultation and is fully my responsibility."

That was the "zinger" in my mind. It is rare these days for leaders to take responsibility for decisions that do not turn out well. It is so much more common to hear "fingerpointing" and "blameshifting" rather than people who will step up and say "I take responsibililty."

I'm going to ponder those comments for some time. I've had my share of failures over the years and probably will have more before my leadership run is over.

It's a difficult thing to do, but a very mature thing to accept responsibility when things don't go as planned. It's also the mark of great leadership.

Blessings,

Dr. Jay