Six principles for promoting self-responsibility

by Terry Bragg

The modern workplace needs people who are proactive, self-directing and self-managing. This means we need managers and workers who are willing to take responsibility for what happens, to act to correct problems, and to do the right thing despite the opinions of others.

Yet, a common complaint I hear is that people don’t want to take responsibility for their lives, for their situation and for their work.

Unfortunately, leadership at the top does not always provide good role models for self-responsibility. We see this all the time. The headlines frequently carry stories about senior corporate executives who try to blame other people for the scandals and problems that occur in their organizations. Although they are quick to accept credit for the successes of their company and to receive their multi-million dollar salaries and bonuses, they are also quick to absolve themselves of responsibility for problems in their organizations.

The following principles and concepts will help you and your organization be more responsible.

E + R = O
A formula I use in my management and communication skills seminars is:  Event + Response = Outcome. We cannot control the events that happen in our lives. As Forrest Gump says, “Stuff happens.” What we can control is our response to what happens. How we respond decides the outcome. When a problem occurs, most people look to blame someone else. You frequently hear, “Hey, it’s not my fault.” Fight this tendency. Look for what you can do to get the outcome you want.

Model self-responsibility
Model the behavior in which you want others to engage. Do what you would expect other people to do in the same situation. Too often people have dual standards when it comes to responsibility. They expect others to take responsibility, but avoid responsibility themselves when it is uncomfortable or risky for them. Avoid the double standard approach. Behave the way you want others to behave. Become their role model.

Self-responsibility comes from within
Because the only behavior you can control is your own, you cannot force other people to be responsible. This is why hiring people with a good work ethic is better than trying to improve someone with a poor work ethic. Lead by example and show others that accepting responsibility is how we define ourselves and shape our identity. Instead of being a burden, self-responsibility is a source of joy and self-empowerment.

Expect and require responsibility from others
Although you can’t force someone to act responsibly, you can clearly express your expectations and require them to act responsibly or pay the penalties of their irresponsibility. This is how parents teach children to be responsible. They expect their children to be responsible, and require them to experience the results of their choices and actions. The same principle applies in the workplace.

Our choices and actions have consequences
People are responsible for the consequences of their actions, and consequences can be either positive or negative. You get what you reward. Therefore, you want to reward the behavior you want people to repeat. Unfortunately, many organizations unknowingly reward the opposite behavior and therefore reinforce some of their workers’ nasty behaviors. Reward people when they take responsibility to do good things, instead of punishing them when things go wrong.

Lecturing and punishing doesn’t work
People assume self-responsibility when they realize their choices and actions are not getting them the results they want. They can choose to continue with their behavior and continue to get the results they don’t want, or they can choose to act differently. You cannot force them to this realization by lecturing or punishing them. You teach people to be responsible by showing them the natural consequences of their actions, not by punishing them for the choices they make.

For example, a large company approached me to help them change a long list of negative behaviors by a large group of their staff. Mistrust, divisiveness and low morale tore this company apart and pitted management against their staff.

As often happens, the fingers were wagging vigorously and the fingers were always pointing in the other direction. Management blamed the employees for the company’s problems. The employees blamed management for mistreating workers.

The company’s management wanted me to come in and fix their employees’ attitudes and transform their negative behavior into something positive. Of course, management also wanted me to fix their employees quickly in a two-day training session. Management never acknowledged their responsibility in creating or perpetuating this situation. Instead of modeling self-responsibility, management failed to examine its own contribution to creating a bad work environment. They absolved themselves of responsibility and merely blamed the situation on workers with bad attitudes.

The employees resented management for holding them accountable for results but not supporting them in achieving those results. Many workers resented receiving performance warnings from their managers. Instead of using their influence to gain more support and to improve their skills, they degenerated into backstabbing, bickering and wallowing in their self-limitations.

This was a snake pit where no one was willing to accept even partial responsibility for the situation or to do what was really necessary to improve it.

This example illustrates that you cannot force people to change. Getting people to accept responsibility for their actions is not about fixing people. It also shows that quick fixes and trying to force people to change do not work. It takes time to get to the root of the problem. Ultimately, self-responsibility comes from inside the person.

Terry Bragg runs a company called Peacemakers Training in Salt Lake City and is the author of the book 31 Days to High Self-Esteem. He works with organizations to create a workplace where people want to work, and with managers who want their people to work together better. If you want your organization or your people to have more energy, more trust, more respect, and more meaning, please contact him at terry@terrybragg.com.

Back to top

Back to Web-exclusive articles archives