How I Convince Myself to Lead: Accountability and Authority

Taking control of a team for the first time can feel awkward and induce anxiety in the best of us.  Especially, when you move to a leadership position with a group of your peers, it's hard for some of us (myself included) to be comfortable being the "boss".  I don't mind the responsibility, but I'm uncomfortable with what I perceive as a possible expression of arrogance when I start actually doing the job of a leader.

Faced with this turmoil, this is how i convince myself to lead: I take accountability for the Thing (team, product, project, whatever). I'm on the hook for its success unlike anyone else. If it fails, I fail.

This allows me to give myself permission to be authoritative for it as well. Accountability without authority is unfair. Authority without accountability is worse than unfair.

Without the balance of those two, leadership isn't leadership.