There is an old Chinese proverb that says, “He who is willing to accept the weight of the nation, is the nation’s treasure.” I always liked this little “speakable” because it suggests that a leader can only be great if he or she is just as quick to take responsibility for failure as they are to take credit for success. I remember seeing President Barack Obama’s response to a reporter’s question about his choice of a member of his administration who later had to step down.

Evidently during the vetting process, something in the man’s past was overlooked. To some people this made Obama “look bad.” But when pressed by the reporter, the President simply answered, “I screwed up.”

There was deafening silence after Obama’s answer. The reporter was totally caught off guard. What can you say once a man has openly admitted an error in judgment, is willing to correct it and move on?

The human spirit is very welcoming to this dynamic and embraces it. President Obama did not lose one iota of popularity by admitting a “screw up.” As a matter of fact, it only made the people identify with him more closely.

A hint to the wise should be sufficient for local elected officials. The “appearance of perfection” is an outdated, antiquated political public presentation. The masses of the people don’t even believe it anymore.

But when you make a clearly “boneheaded” decision or you fail to act when you should have, the worse thing that you can do is “scapegoat,” play the “blame game” and duck responsibility. Real leaders are quick to place a heavy load of negatives on their shoulders and “man up” until there is a positive outcome. It’s called “turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones.”

The City of Houston is structured under a strong mayoral form of government. This means that most of the major decisions made in this city are ultimately made by the mayor. If this strong mayoral form of government is not tempered with a strong mayoral form of responsibility, the mayor’s seat may as well become a vanity post driven by big business and celebrity perks.

Question: Who is willing to accept the responsibility of leadership? Recent racial controversy in the Houston Fire Department recently spread like flames in a California wildfire.  Leadership’s failure to address these issues early on led to a worsened wound that is now more difficult to heal.

The term “responsibility” suggests one’s “ability to respond.” In a city with a strong mayoral form of government, no individual political leader has the “ability to respond” like the mayor. When that ability is not exercised properly, you have issued an invitation for confusion, distrust, insecurity and lack of confidence on leadership.

You cannot wait until the engine has blown a gasket before you get an oil change. Great leaders are proactively prepared for the worst. However, when intolerable issues like those in the Houston Fire Department present themselves, you must take the wheel immediately before the vehicle spirals out of control like the Houston Fire Department has.

Those who wish to lead this city, and any city for that matter, must be willing to accept the responsibility of leadership like no other before them. When big problems surface, so must you. It is already a given that you will make mistakes; the only real question is when?

But when it is clear that you have made a mistake, be like the leader of the free world and admit it quickly and emphatically. People will respect you for it and support you in the long run. It’s called honesty and integrity that works more effectively than waving and smiling in the midst of a hurricane.

 The worse thing you can do is pretend to be perfect with a wad of mucous hanging from your nose. As Brother Robert Muhammad always says, “the people are smarter than you think.”