200% Responsibility

Eli Lopian    Management for Geeks    

When something is really important to us we must have at least 200% Responsibility. 100% responsibility is just not enough.

With my children for example, 100% responsibility is not enough, when I cross the road with them, both myself and my wife are on the look out.
This is because when 2 people are responsible for something, it is too easy for both parties to let loose and tell themselves that “The other party is responsibility” leaving no-one responsible.

The same applies to other things in life. Unit tests for example, is very important that is why we need at least 200% responsibility. Everyone is responsible for all the tests to pass. If someone sees a failed test – fix it, don’t look for the responsible person.

I think that the opposite of a Responsible person acts like a Victim:
”Oh, the tests failed. That is because: The build server is faulty, Bob in not professional, My PC isn’t fast enough. It is not my fault, I am a Victim of the circumstances, its their/his fault”

Lets see the difference in behavior between a responsible person and a victim.

Check yourself. How many times have you heard other people, or yourself, say: “I Must lose weight”,”I need to stop smoking”,”I must write unit tests”. Lets read between the lines, what they are saying is. I don’t intend to do it at all. “I Must stop smoking… but not today”

You have probably met advisors, or you might be one yourself: “You must sell your stock now, you should buy now, you should do this, you should do that”, these are victims. A responsible person will check the stock market, learn how it works and decide how to save himself instead of telling others what to do.

A victim will complain all the time, while a responsible person will check his boundaries, learn and try new things.

200% responsibility

So how can you become responsible. Ask yourself, what can YOU do, and tell others what you indent to do. Live with integrity. The only way out of being a victim is by taking responsibility.

200% responsibility

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