Taking Responsibility

President Barack Obama in his inaugural address said "What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, ... that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world...."

Many people and organisations are talking about taking appropriate responsibility - particularly in light of the current number of corporate collapses. We are asking how did this happen, and who is responsible - the Government, the CEO, the Board of Directors? The list is long ...



It seems to me that many of us believe that we are taking responsibility, but we are kidding ourselves. We go through the motions of taking responsibility, but don't follow through.

For example, many of us know the consequences of over indulgence - but we continue to over indulge. We don't follow the exercise programs we know help to maintain our health, and live lifestyles that are potentially more damaging than supportive. If we seek medical attention when we are sick, but do not take the medicine as prescribed, or complete the exercise program, are we truly taking responsibility?

Our reasons for not taking full responsibility are varied:

• The task might seem too hard,
• We might lack the necessary resources,
• We might have other responsibilities,
• We might be distracted, or
• We might just want a break.

I believe that one of the differences between elite performers - whether they are athletes, business people or world leaders is their ability to take appropriate responsibility - they own their roles in life and do not shirk away from them. They do not fill their time with other peoples' responsibilities - they know how to delegate, and how to stay true. They focus on the big picture and remember that the details are important to achieve success.

This ability to accept full and appropriate responsibility is a true gift. If it doesn't come naturally to you it can be learned.

In Summary:
Next time you find yourself avoiding completing a task, ask:
Who is responsible? Do it or Delegate.
When is it due? Acknowledge and Agree.
What is required? Source and Resource.
How will you know when it is completed appropriately? Refine, Report and Record.

Remember to consider the appropriateness of every step.

PR: wait... I: wait... L: wait... LD: wait... I: wait... wait... Rank: wait... Traffic: wait... Price: wait... C: wait...

Where do you get your inspiration?

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Often it is from the most unexpected sources.

I believe that if we follow a series of songs by the same band, or watch a series or some episodes from a television show we can see the bigger picture of their offering. For bands, it might reveal a constant theme through their work - such as The Beatles writing songs about love - looking for love, finding love and losing love. Other bands have themes of empowerment, freedom or identity (such as Green Day). The main theme becomes clearer when listening to their music "in saturation" - such as an anthology, or a series of albums one after the other.

Similarly, watching television series on DVDs - so that we can see a complete season without advertisements can make the central theme clearer and stronger - more so if we watch a few seasons of the same show after each other. It might seem a bit excessive, but great writing and acting can be inspirational.

I really enjoyed watching "The West Wing" on DVDs - pity the show ended. In the early episodes many characters would walk into each other's offices and be met with the line "What can I do for you?" or "What do you need me for?" This was a way of streamlining office discussions and building efficiency into busy schedules.

It might be simplistic but I believe that good writing, great expressions can build clarity and direction into how we might view the world and how we exist in it. Maybe we can learn a lot from television shows...

It's never too late.....

There was some inspiring news last week.

An Australian great-great-grandmother, Phyllis Turner aged 94 graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Masters Degree in Medical Science. This is remarkable enough, but she left school at 12 years of age, when she had help her mother raise her siblings. She completed her high school education (going to night school) after raising her own seven children and two stepchildren. She then started her university studies at the University of Adelaide when she was 70 years old and two years later won a 12-month scholarship to study at the University of California. On her return from California she enrolled at the Australian National University and gained a degree in anthropology. She decided to enroll in her Master's degree five years ago, after her husband died.

Read more about this remarkable woman:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/887/story/124935.html

Another inspiring story about pursuing your dreams no matter how long it takes is rather surprising...

Most people think that rock stars are more likely to spend their time living the high life. We don't tend to believe that they are overly intelligent (many of course are) or necessarily sensible. Brian May, guitarist with the rock band Queen, was due to submit his doctorate thesis in astrophysics last week, after enrolling in the course some 34 years ago. His thesis is on zodiacal dust clouds (the dust clouds in our solar system) and he left his studies all those years ago when Queen was making it HUGE on the international rock scene. He received an honorary doctorate from Exeter University in Devon, England earlier this year, and co-authored a book on astrophysics called "Bang! The Complete History of the Universe" with Patrick Moore and Chris Linttot published last year. He never lost his love for, or interest in astrophysics and followed discoveries while continuing with his musical career. He is still active in both diverse fields.

For more information about Brian May, try these links:

http://www.brianmay.com/brian/briannews/briannewsoct06a.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN2536780120070726

Just goes to show - if you want something badly enough, you will achieve it sooner or later, and there is more than one way to get what you want.

Maybe we just give up too soon..