Take Responsibility for Everything
As I progress through my career, I find myself taking on more positions of leadership, often responsible for guiding a team to achieve a deliverable. Yet, leadership is rarely something we’re explicitly taught. In school, we’re assigned group projects under the premise of learning teamwork, but we’re seldom shown how to actually work in — or lead — a team effectively.
Some time ago, I came across Jocko Willink through his conversations with Joe Rogan. One core lesson stood out: take responsibility for everything. It’s the foundation of his book, Extreme Ownership.
The idea is simple but powerful — when you take full responsibility, you have control. Blaming others or external circumstances only surrenders that control. While it might sound like a heavy burden, this mindset actually creates freedom. It gives you control over your circumstances. Instead of complaining when something doesn’t go your way, you now have agency.
Food for Thought
The idea of personal responsibility was popularized in recent years by Jordan Peterson. For me, his podcast appearances between 2017 and 2019 were the best. His early podcasts with Joe Rogan are my favourites, with many great discussions including that on personal responsibilty.