When I talk to CEOs about the gravity of their jobs, most begin moaning
about responsibility. What they “owe” … to boards, investors, lenders,
customers and employees. 
But
that’s a trap. Set by those just mentioned. To ensure their interests
are highest on your obligation list. And even higher on your guilt list
when things go wrong. And most of us step right into the trap.
The
trap? It’s the incentive to divert our attentions to the wrong things.
To the concerns of others, versus what we know is most important for our
business. To spreadsheets versus customers, as an example. And to far
too many days spent preparing for far-too-regular board meetings …
versus customer calls. Or simply thinking, quietly, alone about our
businesses.
How to break the cycle? It’s easy. Start considering
your obligation to your business as duty, versus responsibility. Duty’s
different. Particularly in the effect it has on how you approach your
job.
Responsibility comes from the outside. It’s transactional.
“I’ve done something for you, and now you have a responsibility to me.”
It’s also usually quantifiable. Not too much different from an
indenture. Which, on the bright side, you can shed once you’ve met its
terms. With no lasting effect. But, as long as you are susceptible to
the grip of responsibility, as soon as you absolve one, it’s likely to
be replaced by another.
Shift gears. Now imagine a standard of duty.
Duty
comes from the inside. It’s not transactional. It’s moral. And derives
from a clear understanding of the principles by which you are going to
live your life. It’s neither quantifiable nor time-bound. And yours are
the only opinions that matter when it comes to measuring yourself
against your standard.
A clear sense of duty supersedes any
sense of responsibility. Your sense of duty says, in effect, “If I live
up to my higher calling, everything else will be taken care of …
appropriate to its alignment with what’s best for my business.”
Living
to the call of duty protects you from diverting interest from what’s
most important. And gives you the backbone to stand up to anyone who
challenges what you know is best for your business.
Duty, not responsibility, is your greatest source of power … At The Top.
