This week was spent with our youngest son and his family in Williamsburg, Virginia.

They enjoyed the roller coasters at Busch Gardens. My high-speed thrill was the log ride. We experienced history at Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg. The USA’s diversity and multiple cultures caused us to be a divided country from the beginning. Our diversity and differences became one of our strengths because we learned to discuss, debate and compromise.

Free speech is essential for liberty.

One evening we played miniature golf. It was a good time. Nick, our young grandson, struggled to putt the ball into the hole. He blamed it on the golf club. I traded clubs with him but it didn’t make much difference.

His older sister said it was the golfer. Nick still blamed the club. As long as the reason is the club, Nick will never improve. As he matures, with the help of his parents and grandparents, he will learn as his sisters have, taking responsibility will give him the power he needs to succeed.

Years ago, as a new manager I took over a location with a terrible safety record. Vehicle accidents and injuries were routine. Profitability was low. I was told the roads in West Virginia made it difficult to avoid accidents.

Coming from a facility in Ohio where it was flat, I believed my men. After we had an injury or a vehicle accident, I had plenty of excuses.

Less than three months after taking over as manager we had a fatal vehicle accident. Our driver was going too fast into a sharp curve and put the truck on its side. Unfortunately, he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt as required. The driver’s side of the cab was undamaged. I had to tell my driver’s wife he wasn’t coming home.

I will always remember that day. It was a sunny summer morning. I approached the house and through the screen door I could see their three young boys watching TV in PJs. My news would change their lives forever. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

I called my manager to report the accident and blamed the driver, the road and even his supervisor and co-workers for not reminding him to wear his seatbelt or slow down. My manager unloaded on me. He said, “Those are your people! You are responsible for their safety.”

I was upset and thought my manager was being unfair. What could I do? I can’t be everywhere. We have rules. Roads have speed limits. The driver chose not to follow them.

Then I thought. “If I’m responsible maybe I can do something? Everyone needs to come home safely.”

Leaders need to be able to influence people not command them. Leaders understand taking responsibility is taking control. Like my grandson, if the problem is the golf club there isn’t anything he can do but get another club.

If the problem is the golfer, Nick can learn how to putt. He can practice and get better. But first he has to take responsibility for the bad shots.

My attitude had to change. I had to take responsibility for my people’s safety before anything could change. Safety had to be a priority.

My leadership team and I had to set the example.

The leadership team worked on the supervisors. Because our employees worked remotely in small crews each employee had to take responsibility for their own safety and for those working with them. In a remarkably short period of time the accidents and injuries stopped. Everyone realized in spite of the terrain we could work and drive safely.

We routinely began driving over 1 million miles without a vehicle accident. The walls of our facility filled up with safety awards. Our people were proud of their safety record. Profitability improved.

Accidents and injuries are costly. When I, the leader, stopped blaming and took responsibility and ultimately control of our safety program everything changed.

COVID separated leaders from managers. Everyone was impacted by COVID. Some people blamed COVID for their troubles.

It was a good excuse.

Leaders took responsibility. They understood their organizations needed to operate in spite of COVID and found ways to serve their people and their customers. At the Ohio Chapter of the National Speakers Association we couldn’t do live meetings. We found unique ways to serve our members in spite of COVID.

We emerged stronger as did many companies, restaurants, churches and other organizations. At SCUSA we are blessed with great leaders. When bad things happen, they don’t waste time looking for someone or something to blame. We are stronger post COVID and bringing more companies to the region. These leaders focus on solving problems.

On June 15th the International Energy Agency (IEA) said higher crude oil prices allowed Russian revenues to climb in May despite lower crude exports due to sanctions. Higher crude oil and product prices increased Russian revenues by $1.7 billion in May to $20 billion. The EU is still the leading destination for Russian crude oil followed by China and India. Basic economics says, if demand (for gasoline) remains constant and supply of (of crude oil) goes down, gasoline price will increase. Which is what we are seeing. If demand continues to increase due to summer vacation driving and supply stays the same or decreases expect the price of gasoline to continue to increase. This means Russia can sell less crude oil and make more money. A good deal.

Some in leadership positions have blamed Putin for our high gasoline prices and inflation. If Putin is responsible, he has the power. Our “leaders” have given him the power to control our economy. True leaders take responsibility and focus on solving the problem instead of blaming people or things. The USA must take responsibility for its energy and inflation problems. We have plenty of energy to control our own destiny if those in leadership positions stopped blaming the golf club.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA, www.shalecrescentusa.com He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is a lprofessional speaker, author of four books and numerous published articles.