Tag Archives: ownership

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

No, No, It Wasn’t me.

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I heard the classic rock song  “It wasn’t me” by Chuck Berry which appeared on his 1965 studio album ” Fresh Berrys”  on the radio this morning.  This was his 9th studio album.

The title and chorus line appealed to me as a potentially great blog topic.  And so here we are.  In this case, the author is me, but for everything else you want to blame me for, well, it wasn’t me.

On the Defence

It is natural to defend ourselves.  Our unconscious can play a big role in this leading us to explain why it was not us even before we have thought it through.

Self defence can begin even before conscious logic kicks in.  Not surprisingly, this is not always the best approach.  We revere honesty in others and so owning up to mistakes and taking the blame right out of the box can put us in good stead with others.

However, that takes more than a little effort, in main because we will both naturally and unconsciously immediately defend ourselves.  Not sure what the accusation is but “No, No wasn’t me” is often our first reaction.

Own Up

It has been my experience accepting blame, without excuse or explanation (and thats a real important part) focusing on resolution works wonders.

This is not to suggest we should accept responsibility for ever accusation, in particular those for which we really are not to blame.

That said falling on our sword, while not  a natural inclination can very often be the best approach and a way to turn failure into success.

Give it some thought next time the opportunity to avoid blame comes up, maybe you should be singing “ Yes, Yes, it was me”.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Taking Charge

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Within the social context of life, all of us have the opportunity to assume control or responsibility for events and actions both internal and external to us.

We can take charge of a group, an event or activity or simply accept full personal control of our own actions.  Taking control removes the ability to blame other people or things.  Nothing made you act beyond your own volition.

Guiding the Result

In a group situation, in the interests of efficiency, it is often helpful if one person acts as a facilitator.  The guidance provided by the recognized authority enables all to act consistently and effectively.

Consider a security guard or first responder providing direction to others in an emergency situation.  Without them, panic could reign and chaos would result.

Sometimes the appointed leader or person in charge is not always obvious.  These cases represent an opportunity for us to step up and exercise leadership, even though we have not been granted the privilege.

For the Greater Good

Being granted authority to take charge (or not) shouldn’t be a limiting factor relative to your decision to step forward and help.  Think of the greater good.

When there is a leadership vacuum the groups’ ability to perform is greatly diminished.  This is not to denigrate the value of collaborative functioning as a whole, that is the hallmark of a high performing team.

However, there are times when group action requires a queue.   Often people are wondering, should I act, what will others think, who is going first, should it be me?

These are great opportunities for you to take charge.  You can influence the result for the betterment of everyone.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Personal Accountability

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Nobody’s fault but mine.  I heard this song by Led Zeppelin today.  The  Zep were a top tier classic rock act founded in the late nineteen sixties, who broke up in the early 1980’s when their drummer died.

It occurred to me the song title was actually a fabulous mantra for personal accountability.  The sentiment is much easier to voice or sing than to actually practice, but for me it really resonates.

You Made Me

One of my pet peeves is how easily we attribute cause to others.  I do this too although I try very hard not too.  In truth comments like “that driver makes me nuts” just are not true.

No one can make you feel crazy, frustrated, angry ,disappointed, etc. External factors can influence how you feel and behave however the fact is the choice is yours and yours alone.

If you experience road rage and choose to act on your feelings, it is absolutely your choice alone, it is nobody’s fault but yours.  In point of fact the other driver as annoying as they may be can not take control of your brain.

Recognize, you own it

One of the real benefits of being able to fully accept accountability is your actions are measured and far less likely to be precipitous.  Knowing all blame lies with you leads to second thoughts before acting in ways you will ultimately regret.

Believing you will not being able to absolve yourself using a scapegoat or an excuse, that is accepting full accountability results in exemplary personal behaviour.

Give it a try, people will admire you and you will feel good.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Taking Accountability

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Assigned someone accountability for an outcome (e.g., improved sales, on-time delivery, enhanced team morale) can set an expectation that might or might not be accepted.

However, if someone takes accountability on their own accord, that is by taking the initiative, the potential for success is much higher.

Remember what you perceive as acceptance of accountability might actually be just simple acquiescence or even worse passive-aggressive behavior (appearing compliant while actually not in agreement at all).

Accountable Behavior

When someone accepts accountability, it is usually very apparent through their behavior.   So much so, I have observed situations where someone is assumed to be accountable just because of how they are acting, even though they are not the assigned accountable person.

In these cases, the accountable resource could be so lethargic or apathetic  relative to executing their responsibilities, the person who takes charge (on their own volition) is just assumed to be accountable.

Believing you are accountable is much more powerful than being told you are.  Self-motivated people do not need organizational power to act.  Their behavior speaks louder than their role.

Empowerment

Strong leaders create an environment of empowerment to nourish self accountability.  Few restrictions on activities encourage you to take on more.

Taking ownership and getting things done can be invigorating.  Feeling empowered to do it just removes a barrier to action that many of us want to undertake anyway.

So get off your but, take charge and make it happen.  JUST DO IT.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Your most powerfull tool

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A friend shared this quote  the other day.  It fits well with my own post of yesterday and so I wanted to highlight the quote and explore its meaning a little.

“Your mind is a powerfull thing.  When  you fill it with positive thoughts your life will start to change” –  Zig Ziglar, motivational speaker

Your Most Powerfull Tool

We all use tools to help us achieve our goals.  From a rake to a car we use tools to help us carry out a paticular function.  Things we probably could do without the tool become easier and usually are done with a higher quality when the tool is employed.

You can get from A to B without a car or get all the dead grass off your lawn without a rake, but I can’t imagine doing either of those things without some tool.  There are so many available.

Your mind can be used for many functions (a multi-use tool if you will) yet so many of us ignore the potential uses.  Frankly we take our minds for granted.

Many don’t even view their mind as a tool that we can employ to assist us.   Time and again athletes are quoted as saying “it wasn’t the skates, or the stick or the bike; I focused my mind on the achievement, that was the critical factor” .

So you want to be happy and successful, start with your mind.  It’s yours to command, take charge, visualize the positive and it will be yours.   Don’t wait, start now.

(If you achieve monetary success as a result of the concepts noted in this post, remember I am not adverse to financial gratuity.)