Responsibility and Fault Part 1

Responsibility ≠ Fault - A Leadership Lesson from the Shopfloor to the Self Part 1

As I grew into management, one lesson kept resurfacing - quietly, persistently, and often uncomfortably:

Taking responsibility does not mean taking fault.

It sounds simple. But for many of us - shaped by upbringing, culture, or early professional conditioning - this distinction is anything but intuitive. By nature, I tend to be someone who takes responsibility very personally. Add to that the natural tension of early career moments - when a director or manager asks about an outcome that didn't go as planned - and I'd find myself stiffening, bracing for judgment, even when the situation wasn't of my making.

But over time, I learned something liberating:

Responsibility is not about blame. It's about agency.

Fault is past tense. Responsibility is present tense. Fault asks, "Who caused this?". Responsibility asks, "What will I do now?"

This shift in mindset changed everything. It allowed me to step into ownership without shame. To lead without defensiveness. To improve systems, support teams, and drive change - even when the problem wasn't mine to begin with.

Mark Manson captures this beautifully in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**. He writes: "We are responsible for experiences that aren't our fault all the time. This is part of life."

And in leadership, it's essential. Because the moment we conflate responsibility with fault, we risk paralysis. We avoid hard conversations. We hesitate to act. We protect our egos instead of serving our teams. But when we decouple the two, we unlock a more mature, resilient form of leadership - one that says:

• "I didn't cause this, but I'll help fix it."
• "I wasn't wrong, but I'll still learn."
• "I'm not to blame, but I'll take the next step."

This isn't just semantics. It's a mindset shift that empowers growth, fosters trust, and builds cultures of continuous improvement.

So here's my invitation to fellow leaders - especially those early in their journey or navigating cross-cultural dynamics:

Don't fear responsibility. Embrace it. Redefine it. Let it be your tool for influence, not your burden of guilt.

Because real leadership isn't about who's at fault. It's about who shows up.