You Were Born To Be CEO

Bad Axe, MI—my hometown. Just a two-hour drive from Detroit, Motor City.

As a kid growing up in the 80’s, I was familiar with the name, Lee Iaccoca. Iacocca’s impact on the Chrysler Corporation was common conversation among the adults in my life. On the verge of bankruptcy in the late 1970’s, Chrysler brought Iacocca in to turn things around. And that’s exactly what he did. Lee Iacocca took full responsibility for the success of Chrysler and made it profitable once more.

Question: Was Iacocca to blame for the financial condition Chrysler was in when he took charge? Absolutely not. But Iacocca took full responsibility for that condition and for what would be required to create a new condition. And there lies the distinction between responsibility and blame.

In everyday language, we often use the words responsible and blame interchangeably. “Who’s responsible for this mess?” really means, “Who’s to blame for this mess?” We collapse these two words, but they are actually different, and produce distinct results. To blame and find fault keeps us stuck and disempowered. It is a position that keeps us waiting—depending—on circumstances and others to change before we can be happy, free, fulfilled, etc.

Responsibility, however, is a position of empowered action. Let me break it down Sesame Street style:

• Responsibility
• Response Ability
• Ability to Respond

It is literally the ability to respond.  It is our only access to the power we need to intentionally create our lives. We can either be a victim of circumstances or be responsible for our desired outcome in those circumstances instead. This is the only game in town. Blaming and finding fault (even of ourselves!) keeps us being the disempowered victim. Whenever we are blaming, we are not creating any new possibility for ourselves.  But taking responsibility has us being an empowered owner, operator and CEO of our life.

I was recently introduced to the work of Aaron McHugh, author of “Don’t Quit Your Job, Fire Your Boss (Instead).” It is an EXCELLENT read on this very matter, and you can get your free digital copy of it here. Aaron asserts that if you are unhappy in your work, the solution is not in finding another job, it’s in firing your boss from the responsibility of making you happy, fulfilled or successful. Fire your boss, and make yourself responsible for experiencing greatness in your work instead.

I am extending that declaration to the rest of your life. Fire your boss…and fire your spouse, parents, friends, kids, bank account, circumstances, government, economy, personal weaknesses…and your past! Fire them all from the responsibility of making you happy, fulfilled or successful. Because as long as you’re waiting on (blaming) them, you never, ever, ever will be. Ever.

You can shift all that in an instant with a clear and definite choice, no matter how long and how many you have been blaming. Choose to be responsible from this moment and every moment forward. Whether you made the mess or not. Being responsible will always have you being empowered and being a blamer will always leave you being disempowered. Whoever is responsible is free; whoever is not responsible is subject to the one who is.

This is powerful. Notice any place in your life where you are feeling stuck or frustrated. Who or what are you blaming there? Who or what are you making wrong, and waiting on to make things right? Start with that. Fire them, and you become responsible for creating the results you’ve been waiting on them for. Step into being the CEO of your own incredible life. You are the only one who can.

Be Great!

Becky