One of the things we need to do a better job as a society is holding ourselves accountable for our actions. We no longer own up to the things we do.
Think back to your school days. Remember the kid in class that always blamed others for their mistakes? They were the ones who would cry, “But, it’s not my fault”, finding everyone and anyone responsible for their blunder.
As they grew, they strengthened this belief blaming the professor for their ineptness, the boss for their inadequacies, or the spouse for their failed relationship. Throughout their life they point the finger at others for their incompetence. At no time, did they take personal responsibility for how they live their lives.
This “pointing the finger out” mentality has weaved its way through humanity materializing during political campaigns, corporate takeovers, merchandise recalls, and bankruptcies. At what point does a person stop pointing the finger out and start pointing in?
Over the past several months, I have grown tired of watching people not own up. I have become weary just listening to all of the excuses why something went wrong. I find myself less and less tolerant of this behavior to the point that I no longer try to influence their behavior. Now, I simply dismiss them from my life.
Sounds harsh? It may be. But what I have found is when I replace burdensome individuals with those who anticipate the needs of others, we flourish. When I work with people that look for solutions instead of dwelling on the problems, we get more done. When I surround myself by those who have pride in keeping commitments, we thrive.
These are the people that don’t point the finger out but take responsibility and point the finger in.
This blog is dedicated to the “Team of Five”, Maryellen, Matt, Ellen, Headley and Jesus at Plantation General Hospital. They “point the finger in” day in and day out; and, I am truly honored to have the privilege to work with them.
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Great Thought is the times we live in. I am going to work harder at holding myself accountable and distancing myself from those who won't.
ReplyDeleteTrudy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words.
Each one of us and the management team feel we are privileged to work with you. You have provided unspeakable value to each one of us and the organizaton. We are truly blessed to have you coaching our team at Plantation General Hospital.
I so agree Trudy! There seems to be so little personal accountability these days. It seems like almost every conversation we encounter, whether at work, home or watching the evening news, is a demonstration of our unwillingness to look inward for how to improve and our eagerness to take what we believe to be the easy way out and blame others. It's a shame that we don't see that such behavior isn't really resulting in an easy way 'out'; it's just perpetuating the situation and we never come to resolve our work, societal and personal/family issues. I'm going to take an excerpt from this blog and keep it present in my work journal to remind me of the importance of looking inward first and resisting that temptation to point elsewhere. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat article..we all need to be less concerned about our "rights" and more concerned about our responsilbilites. A little distancing goes a long way!
ReplyDeleteJust today I had to say to someone take credit where credit is due and admit to fault when you are wrong. I wish I would have read this 1st and told them to point the finger in.. Great Trudy!
ReplyDelete