Responsibility Process
Much of what you know about leadership and personal responsibility is about to be disrupted
The Responsibility Process™, derived from field studies, shows how all people mentally process thoughts about avoiding or taking responsibility. It is the core of the Leadership Gift.
Awareness of the Responsibility Process provides a framework for learning by individuals, teams, and organizations. It is the first how-to model for taking, teaching, and inspiring personal responsibility – the #1 principle of success in any endeavor.
| Responsibility | Owning your ability and power to create, choose, and attract |
| Quit | Giving up to avoid the pain of Shame and Obligation |
| Obligation | Doing what you have to instead of what you want to |
| Shame | Laying blame onto oneself (often felt as guilt) |
| Justify | Using excuses for things being the way they are |
| Lay Blame | Holding others at fault for causing something |
| Denial | Ignoring the existence of something |
No one thinks about personal responsibility when things go well
When something goes wrong large or small (for example, lost keys or a lost retirement account), the Responsibility Process kicks in. The mind offers Lay Blame as a reason. If you accept blame as a sufficient reason, then you will act on that blame. If you don't accept it, then your mind offers you an excuse (Justify). And so on. Thus taking personal responsibility is a step-wise process of refusing to act on a series of irresponsible thoughts that your mind offers up.
- Responsibility is not just a character trait/flaw. It's a mental process operating identically in everyone
- The process can be observed, learned, taught, studied, developed, modeled, and practiced
- Any willing individual, team, or organization can practice responsibility at ever higher levels
- The Responsibility Process is most useful when self-applied. It backfires when used to Lay Blame on others.
Unlocking and mastering the Responsibility Process
The Keys to Responsibility™, i.e., to unlocking and mastering responsibility, through daily practice are:
- INTENTION – Intending to respond from Responsibility when things go wrong.
- AWARENESS – Catching yourself in the mental states of Denial, Lay Blame, Justify, Shame, Obligation, and Quit.
- CONFRONT – Facing yourself to see what is true that you can learn, correct, or improve.
Try it
Use the form (top right) to download, print, and post a Responsibility Process poster where you will see it frequently. It will surprise you how seeing it supports you intention, your awareness, and even your ability to confront. Try it.
