Responsibility is personal, not private

Responsibility is a personal choice. Contrary to common belief, it can’t be given from the outside. It can only be chosen from the inside. Confusing responsibility assigned with responsibility accepted is the #1 reason it fails.

Responsibility is personal, but it’s not private.

People see what you do and don’t take responsibility for, and how you do it. So if you drift from responsibility, you force people to make a difficult choice: ignore it, or make you aware of it.

Understand this: no one wants to be in that position.

Telling you to take responsibility for something you’re avoiding is awkward. But ignoring it is awkward, too. Either way, your gaps in responsibility become their problem.

Most people won’t say anything to you. There’s less friction that way. But many people will talk about you. And if it goes on long enough, they eventually start ignoring you.

Life is better for the people around you when you choose responsibility. It’s better for you, too.

Identify one responsibility at work and one in your personal life that you’ve been avoiding. Choose to own each of them before someone has to point them out.

Make the leap. Do the work.