The Whistling Vicuna

The question is, “Is there anything less than great responsibility?” This seems to be one of those seemingly uncomplicated questions that have major ramifications if it is answered honestly. If someone who has authority over me asks me to do a task, however simple, if I give that task anything less than my undivided attention, I have shirked my responsibility. If I do the task to the best of my ability and fall short, I still have not met my responsibility. It is only when my task is completed as directed by the one in authority over me that I have met my responsibility.

             What gives great responsibility inducement is accountability. Accountability is that quality of life that gives people connectedness to each other. Accountability is the quality of living that impels trust. When we sometimes think that we are accountable only to ourselves we are being extraordinarily one-sided in our thinking. Each person having responsibility has accountability.

            Here is another question and a point to be considered. To whom is an employee accountable, too? We, employers and employees, have a tendency to believe that we are accountable to our supervisor, to the person directly above us in the business hierarchy. Consider, does that person, 1) sign your paycheck, 2) create your job description, 3) benefit from your work, 4) depend on you to do your work correctly? A person about whom you can answer yes to these or any other question you might ask is a person to whom you have a responsibility to.

            This means that we can be responsible to someone in a position below ours, too. As a rule, people in leadership believe themselves to be responsible for those working under them. In asking the questions above, though, we find that, yes; those below us benefit from our work and do, indeed, depend on us to do our work correctly. Even more, as we have to know how to do their job tasks, we have to know how to train them in the job tasks, and keep them informed of and trained for any new job tasks they might need to know. While responsibility can seem daunting it helps to remember a something, namely, that you manage things but you lead people.

             Where does this responsibility end? It doesn’t, actually. Think of responsibility as a sphere, a three dimensional circle. Each person we come into contact with comes into our sphere of responsibility, and we into theirs. In a manufacturing arena, riveters, box openers, welders, accountants, human resource developers, salespersons, business owners, all are in each others spheres of responsibility, and all are in the sphere of the consumer of their goods. In the service arena, food preparers, housekeepers, desk clerks, activity professionals, masseuses, managers and executives, all share the spheres pertinent to their responsibilities.

             It comes to this, then, that no person, no job task, no title, is of little importance. Think of what happens if a dishwasher doesn’t wash the dishes, if an accountant doesn’t care where a decimal is placed, or if a business owner is inconsistent with the paychecks. Any of these will make for a dismal work environment. Each of us in a sphere of responsibility needs to know the importance of what we do, and how it affects those around us. Great responsibility comes with the job, any job. Accountability comes with acknowledgement of responsibility. That is the secret of satisfying work.