“I’m disappointed,” Rosalyn lamented.

“In what?” I asked.

“My team,” she replied. “They always come up short. No matter how hard we try, no matter how many meetings we have, they are always behind schedule. Or if they are on schedule, they have missed a step or a critical piece failed in testing. And, it all comes back on me.”

“As it should,” I pressed. “You are the manager. Ultimately, it is up to you. You control all the variables around your team. You recruited them to play an individual role, and all the individuals to work together as a team. You trained them, you provided the tools. You selected the project, the pace of the project and the standards inside the project. If your team is underperforming in their roles, it is probably because you are underperforming in your role.”