Taking Responsibility

How many times have you heard someone in your team or department say, “It’s not my fault”? What about this one? “That’s not my job.” And I’ll bet you’ve heard,” ‘They’ didn’t get me what I needed,” and “Why does management keep doing these silly things?” Comments like these are everywhere in most of our organizations. Perhaps you have even said something like this yourself. After all, YOU aren’t responsible for everything that does on…or are you?What Is Personal Responsibility?
QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, is a great little book on personal accountability. Author John G. Miller makes a great case for why and how everything that touches our lives is our responsibility. We always have a choice of how we will react. We can take the easy way out by blaming others and absolving ourselves of responsibility. It gets us off the hook and justifies our lack of action.
In any situation, challenge, or obstacle we encounter we get to choose what we think about that situation. To believe you have no choice is to become a “victim” with no control. A victim says, “It’s their fault,” or “It’s not my problem.” Victims ask themselves questions like: “Why me?” or “When are ‘they’ going to shape up?” By thinking such thoughts, you rationalize your lack of action, and you remain a victim—blameless, but helpless. In every situation in life, we have as much control as we allow ourselves to take.
The way to feel as if we have greater control is to not allow ourselves to begin thinking like a victim. We need have different thoughts and ask ourselves better questions—questions that lead us to action, not to complaints or passing the buck. Rather than complaining about things beyond your control, think about how you can be so good and so effective in your role that it doesn’t matter how many barriers there are—you will still find ways to move forward. Despite obstacles, you can take action. This is the belief of a winner and the action of a leader who is going places.
Personal Responsibility: An Example
I was recently shopping in a large mall and found a pair of shoes that I really wanted in a shoe store there. They looked great and were just the right color. Unfortunately, the store did not have them in my size. The smaller size was just a bit too tight, and the larger size was too loose. The sales clerk was very pleasant and really took an interest, which is unusual these days, in itself. She told me of two other stores she knew that carried the same brand; one store was at the other end of the mall, the other was located in a strip mall several blocks away.
Then she said something that really surprised me, “Let me call them for you,” and before I could even protest she was looking up the number of the first store. She called the first store and was put on hold for several minutes before someone finally told her they did not have my desired style and size. Undaunted, she called the other store and actually found the exact shoe in the size I needed! When she got off the phone and told me her good news, she seemed genuinely happy to be of service. I thanked her profusely and went directly to that store to buy my shoes.
Her name was Kelly. I made sure I remembered it. Why did she help me out like that? It wasn’t her job. She wasn’t the store manager, and she didn’t make a commission on that sale. She didn’t know me and didn’t know whether I would ever come in her store again. She did not have to do what she did, but because she took personal responsibility for satisfying my needs, she has now produced a loyal customer. I’ll check her store first next time I need shoes.
How Can You Apply This Idea?
Maybe you are not in a direct customer service role for external customers, so you are trying to believe you can’t act like Kelly in my story. Wrong! Everyone you work with each day inside your organization or out (your boss, your colleague, your employee, and yes, your external customer, too) is your customer.
Think of some challenge you currently face at work. It could even be something in your personal life. Stop whining or making excuses for why it’s not working out. Right now, take personal responsibility for moving things in the direction you want them to go. Think of some small action you can take. Conquer your tendency to say, “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it,” by taking a new perspective. To take responsibility and be an outstanding leader always ask yourself the following kinds of questions:
• How can I make a difference here?
• What can I personally do now to move this situation in the right direction?
• How can I take action in the current situation rather than wait for others?
You can be successful and shine at work and at home if you think in terms of “I,” not “they” and in terms of action, rather than complacency