I recently heard a wonderful poem by Jack Riemer. I was struck at how well it captures the essence of leadership and personal accountability.

We cannot merely pray to end war;
For the world was made in such a way
That we must find our own path of peace
Within ourselves and with our neighbor.

We cannot merely pray to root out prejudice;
for we already have eyes
With which to see the good in all people
If we would only use them rightly.

We cannot merely pray to end starvation;
For we already have the resources
With which to feed the entire world
If we would only use them wisely.

We cannot merely pray to end disease;
For we already have great minds
With which to search out cures and
healings
If we would only use them constructively.

Therefore we pray instead
For strength, determination, and will power,
To do instead of merely to pray
To become instead of merely to wish;
That our world may
be safe,
And that our lives may be blessed.”
-Jack Riemer (adapted)

I often hear leaders speak in passive voice. “If only our people could be more engaged”, “If we could just have a greater sense of urgency”, “I hope we’ll get through this change”. It’s as if those leaders forget that they are the ones leading.

Leaders shouldn’t hope or wish; they should do. Leadership is an active endeavor. A leader’s job is to draw out the best from his or her workforce, to keep them engaged and empowered, and to create the kind of culture needed to make the organization succeed.

How do you think about (or communicate) the needs of your organization? Are you passive – relying on some invisible force or person to make things happen? Or, do you speak about your responsibility, actions, and influence. If you aren’t sure, ask someone. If you lead in the passive voice don’t be surprised if you don’t see much change.