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The Leader · № 17

Took the Hit

Publicly took responsibility for a group failure or mistake that you could have blamed on someone else, and the group came through stronger because of how you handled it.

The idea

Taking responsibility for a group failure when blaming someone else was available is one of the rarest moves an adult ever pulls. Have your kid practice the sentence: "this was my call, it didn't work, my fault." No qualifications. No "but." No excuses. The credibility this earns is permanent. Once a group has seen your kid do this, they'll follow them through almost anything later.

Steps
  1. Identify a real failure where you could have blamed someone.
  2. Say in front of the group: "my call, my fault."
  3. No qualifications. No buts.
  4. Continue leading.
What counts

A documented moment where your kid publicly took blame for a group mistake and continued leading. A short writeup is plenty.