The Responsibility of the Employee

Today we are going to switch gears a bit. We are still speaking of the methods of success and leadership but let's look at it from the view of the employee. As we go down this blog journey we will bounce back and forth between viewpoints as the leader/employer and the employee. For many years before I took on those leadership roles and eventually created situations where me being a leader was absolutely required, I was the employee, the one being led.



The one thing that I always knew as an employee under the leadership of someone else was that if I wanted to keep my position I had to be held accountable for the responsibilities for which I was entrusted. If I didn't hold true to those expectations then I knew that I would lose my job.



Because I have worked and learned from so many good leaders I knew that even if I made a mistake and took ownership of the mistake that my leader would give me guidance and give me another chance. I also knew realistically that those chances were numbered and the severity of the mistake would determine whether there was another chance or not. There was also the reality that when a mistake happened there were two options - I could make a change and fix the mistakes and be a better employee or my employer would simply make the change. That change could be a demotion or even termination.



The true test of the character of an employee is in that decision. Someone who wants to be good at their job and wants to be successful will make the personal change to fix the mistake and be a better employee. How can one train to be a leader and gain success if they quit at every misstep or failure? You can run but you can't hide from who you are. Even if you decide that the situation you are in is not the best fit, do your best and when you decide to make a change at least make sure that when you start your new situation you are changing yourself to be a better you. Don't continue to make the same mistakes and expect a different result. Some have called that approach insanity.



Be smart, show good character, learn from the people leading you and you might just be surprised in how they can help you and how you can positively help yourself.



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