IN BRIEF: Everything wrong with my business is my fault. All of the problems that you used to complain about, use them as the opportunity to know what you need to work on. Howard Shultz grew Starbucks, retired, and came back to fix it because he screwed up.
Take responsibility and focus on creating systems to fix the problems.
That’s not me playing a martyr or looking for a pity party. It’s a simple truth that’s difficult for many business owners to accept.
Once I stopped complaining about what was happening TO ME I had a lot more time to deal with the “here and now” AND move my business forward.
Before I could make PROGRESS, I had to TAKE responsibility.
Notice I say “business owners”. Because there are a lot of publicly traded companies out there whose CEO is going to get a golden parachute even if they fuck up.
And look – I would argue it’s not necessarily their fault. It’s human nature to want more resources and these leaders are playing the game by the rules handed to them.
As business OWNERS however, you need to OWN it.
I started this company, I stoked the fires to get it going, I’ve made choices along the way.
The company is mine, I hired that account manager who isn’t hitting their time targets for our clients, or I didn’t train and follow up with and provide enough guidance to the hiring manager who hired the account manager who disappointed the client?
No one forced me to do anything, I simply made the best choice possible given the circumstances and the situation and the information I had at the time and now?
So when I get a call from a client who has received their progress report late once again from their account manager – that’s on me. That’s my fault.
It’s simple: Now I own those decisions. No matter what, it all comes back to me.
Let’s talk about taking responsibility for Starbucks.
No, not for their coffee – I’m not going to get involved in that debate. No, let’s talk about taking responsibility for your business.
Howard Shultz didn’t start Starbucks, but when he bought it from the three original founders it became his and he GREW it until it was this multi billion dollar international behemoth.
Howard hand picked a successor for leadership, he oversaw and signed off on major initiatives, he created the culture. And then he retired to focus on philanthropy.
Starbucks was on an unstoppable growth curve until it hit the wall known in the US as the great recession. Not his fault either, right?
WRONG.
People were still buying coffee, they were just buying it from competitors because Starbucks was drifting from his original vision for the company culture and values. Starbucks wasn’t as competitive because it wasn’t the Starbucks that he had envisioned and grew.
Did he bitch about the company that was falling apart every damn time he left? Did he stay silent and just enjoy his billions?
No, Shultz came out of retirement and returned to Starbucks. Because he realized that the company he created and all of the jobs and opportunities that his company represented – ALL of that was in trouble.
He realized that it was in trouble because HE had screwed up. He hadn’t given guidance, trained, held accountable, motivated, organized, and developed the team to the point where it could function and function well without him.
Shultz also saw the issues at play – he saw the disinterested employees, the slips in cleanliness, the impersonal nature of new stores, the lack of investment in the work force, the general negative sentiment about his company.
So, what did Howard Shultz do? Did he fucking TALK about taking responsibility? Did he TELL everyone that he recognized his failures?
No, he TOOK ACTION. He didn’t tell everyone what he would do so he could get that dopamine rush – HE FUCKING ACTED.
He fired nearly all executives, shut down lagging stores, and set a new course for the company, a course that focused on OPERATIONS over GROWTH.
Shultz made *hard* decisions that he deemed necessary to fix the problem. He could have stayed retired, you could stay glued to your desk over analyzing market conditions.
Or you could pull a Shultz and do something instead of blaming something.
Is something wrong with your business?
Is your General Manager constantly not returning your calls?
Is the parking lot constantly having empty cups littering it?
Are year over year sales lagging?
Is your direct report constantly late with their designs?
Does your department report subpar results to often?
That’s your fault.
You know what else is your fault? Allowing THAT thing to be the reason you don’t succeed
Now stop talking about it, stop blaming the economy / competition / alternatives / weather / space aliens and GO FIX IT.
Easy to say, right?
“Take responsibility and fix it.”
Fix…what? Exactly?
Let’s say I understand and agree that everything in my department, division, business, or project is ultimately my fault. It’s mine.
But how does that actually help me make PROGRESS?
Glad you asked! With Responsibility Taken, Progress is What’s Left
If this bothers you – this idea of taking complete responsibility for your business, your department, your project – then PLEASE read this follow up. It’s the perfect companion to this idea of taking responsibility.