“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” – Luke 12:48
You can’t expect to be given power, fame, success, or greatness without paying the price. That price comes in the form of added responsibilities – including your time and your energy. There is a trade off for everything in life, and the trade off for greatness is responsibility and hard work.
If you truly want to be great, you have to take ownership of everything that happens in your life. This means that you don’t only get to take credit when things go right (and, by the way, you should always point to your team when things are going well). It also means that when things don’t go as planned, you have to take responsibility for it. Did somebody not buy from you? It’s your fault for not demonstrating the value of your product/company. Did a trade not complete the work correctly? It’s your fault for not making sure that what needed to be done is clear to them. Or, if you did make it clear, maybe you should have vetted them better. Did a tenant from a rental property not pay you on time? Maybe you didn’t set clear expectations of when the rent is due. Or maybe you didn’t screen them well enough by running a credit report, checking their employment history, and talking with previous landlords.
There are examples everywhere. If you truly want to be great, it requires you to take responsibility of your actions and of the actions of those around you. Once you can accept this, then you can move forward towards your path to greatness.
