Personal responsibility – what is it and why is it important?
In a few words, personal responsibility may be described as recognizing the outcomes of our tasks, choices, or life as a product from our decisions.
When we make a mistake, it is natural that we initially try to check if we can undo it, sometimes we try to cover it or we want to shift the responsibility and blame for making it somewhere outside of us.
It is usually difficult for us to accept responsibility for making a mistake. It’s hard to admit that we did something was wrong. It’s normal. However, when you blame external circumstances or other people for your problems, you are giving up the control that you have to steer your life in your desired direction.
Personal responsibility is also associated with the ability to stop and reflect over a mistake or problem and consider what action led to the situation. Analyzing and reflecting on the steps that led to the error can be a great lesson for our self-awareness and can help to avoid similar situations in the future.
Additionally, taking personal responsibility gives you an opportunity to build relationships that are based on trust.
Some qualities of people who have a sense of personal responsibility:
Strong communication skills
When you have to do a job, you have to know, how to do it. Therefore strong communication skills are needed. You have to communicate with your boss or colleagues to get clear instructions about your tasks. In this way, you will have a clear picture of what is expected of you. This also applies to seek feedback after completing a task, it will help you objectively look at your work and analyze its results.
Ability to rationally assess one’s abilities
People of a high sense of personal responsibility can assess their abilities and the amount of work they can handle. Your colleague or boss asked you to complete another task? Consider whether after accepting it you will be able to perform current tasks in an effective way and whether you will be able to fulfill the next task satisfactorily. Assessing your own capabilities and setting limits is a sign of high personal responsibility.
Humility and courage
Stepping away from your pride and admitting that you made a mistake requires courage and shows that one is a humble person. It also shows that you want to get better at what you’re doing and improve your skills.
If you are a manager, it is up to you to stimulate the sense of personal sensibility and coach the soft skills of your employees. If you want to find out how to shift the Focus to Personal Responsibility in Three Steps you can check out THIS article.
Related articles:
The importance of emotional intelligence
What are Communication Skills?
