Deep conversations about personal responsibilities as a designated leader

I had an interesting conversation the other day with a colleague about personal responsibility. Whatever our appointment or job designation at a given time, especially for leadership positions, we are bound to ensure the effective and efficient operation of our organisation. There seem to be some confusion amongst newly appointed leaders on the responsibilities regarding backlogs. Some even go to the extent of refusing to even address backlogs for reasons such as it as not in the handover documentation or there is no documented information about the backlogs to refer to. For reasons of these discrepencies the newly appointed leaders deemed it permissible not to resolve the backlogs.

I was truly flabbergasted by this. Such mindset was truly unacceptable especially those who have been entrusted to hold high leadership positions. Calmly but surely I said my piece about the matter and even used my own experience as an example.

In my own experience, work backlogs or unresolved tasks were always priorities for urgent action. And when information is lacking or cannot be found, we just have to take initiatives to first confirm that such information truly do not exist or not available. Once that is ascertained, then we must take the initiative to create new and credible information in collaboration with multiple stakeholders. Such tasks will take time, and its success is dependent on the team dynamics in tackling the issue. But most importantly, it also depends on the top management guidance and facilitative leadership to help ease the process till complete.

So for newly appointed leaders out there, take heed on this advice to always prioritise those backlogs and unresolved tasking. Once those are done and over with, believe me you will feel accomplished and more abled to handle everything else to come. This is what true leadership is about. It’s about taking the lead to tackle difficult and challenging tasks heads on.