take the helm

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

assume leadership or control of an organisation, team, or endeavour; accept the primary responsibility for directing a group toward its goals; the metaphor derives from the ship's helm — the wheel or tiller by which the vessel is steered — and evokes the weight of navigational responsibility and the need for calm, decisive judgment under conditions of uncertainty; taking the helm implies not merely the formal assumption of authority but the genuine acceptance of accountability for where the vessel goes