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Responsibility is about doing the things we are supposed to do, and accepting the positive or negative outcomes of our actions."
Some people have a natural sense responsibility, and others' not so much. We might find ourselves in conversation and saying - "this is what happened, and it's tough, but I can do something about it." Equally we may find ourselves in a conversation and we see things as someone else's fault. "if they hadn't done it, I wouldn't be in this situation, so I am where I am".
Next weekend I'll be giving a seminar about career transitions at Jobs Expo in Galway #jobsexpo and one of the central themes will be about clients taking responsibility. For the purposes of the talk I'll recount some of the steps clients took, to achieve their career goals within the bounds of client confidentiality.
Each story will have a different background and context about people at different stages of their careers and with different levels of academic achievement. One of the more notable characteristics of these ordinary people who set out to reach their potential was the absence of any rancour, bitterness or anger at the position they found themselves in. Their outlook is that though this isn't easy, I can take action to make things better in my career. They carry a sense of responsibility with dignity.
It's possible that this sense of responsibility is a spur for them, a motivation and laying fault or blame at someone else's door doesn't arise.
It can be easier to blame others especially when there's been a career set-back; a promotion opportunity that didn't work out, difficult working relationships, high levels of responsibility with below-par pay. It's normal enough to vent when there's anger, but once that passes we can knuckle down to take action. Responsible people do this.
Being responsible gives us a sense control, even when there's a lot of change around us. We can better assess the trade-offs that need to happen when there's change and it's likely that we'll make better decisions.
So, am I responsible for the position position I find myself today, or is my background, experience in education, family, location, my boss, or my colleagues? Who is responsible and how does it feel to be responsible?
Responsibility and duty go hand in hand
@knoxleadershipinbusinesscoachingandmentoring
Nice article