Taking Responsibility Is Your Superpower

The road to success and growth

We all make mistakes. Most are small and nonconsequential. The type where we might be annoyed with ourselves and the situation. Sometimes, though, mistakes can be much more problematic. They can have an impact on others and the company. Even big enough to wonder if our job is in jeopardy. 

Joe worked in the IT department for a major retailer. He was responsible for getting the point-of-sale system to a location for a grand opening. The problem is the vendor was running late with the necessary equipment. It would be close, but if the product were ready in time, he would easily have it up and running for the grand opening. That is until Joe discovered he had it shipped to the wrong location. A location that wasn't open. 

As you can imagine, this mistake caused a lot of stress and extra work for many people in the company. When Joe explained to his boss what had happened, he emphasized how the product running late caused the issue. His boss stopped him mid-sentence and said that while the product running late contributed to his tight timeline, Joe's mistake was the reason the grand opening was potentially in jeopardy. Then he added, "Start over, Joe. This time, take responsibility for what happened." Joe told me it was a monumental moment for him. It was at that moment that Joe got his superpower. 

The Power of Taking Responsibility

Taking personal responsibility is one of the most empowering things you can do. When you take responsibility, you move from being at the mercy of circumstances to being the driver of your destiny. Joe's boss knew that blaming others or external factors takes away a person's power to improve things. Embracing responsibility gives you the power to shape the solution and your path forward.

Owning your actions and their outcomes rather than making excuses shows maturity and integrity. Admitting when you're wrong also allows you to learn and grow. Just as Joe said, learning to take responsibility changed him. Taking responsibility enables you to respond to challenges innovatively, leading to better results. Shifting from reactive to proactive is a superpower for any business.

Taking responsibility means recognizing and accepting the consequences, obligations, and accountability to fix your mistake. It's acknowledging that you, not others, determine your success. You can't change what you don't own. Read that last line again. 

Your Superpower

But is taking responsibility really a superpower? Let's first look at what taking responsibility means. Taking responsibility is recognizing and accepting the consequences, obligations, and accountability for one's own decisions, actions, and reactions, as well as their outcomes. 
 
I learned to take responsibility when I came to terms with the destruction and hurt my drug and alcohol use did to my family and friends. I was at rock bottom. The only way I could change my life and even stay alive was to change who I was. The only way to do that was to take responsibility for who I was and what I had done. I couldn't change what I didn't own.

But is that a superpower? A superpower is a special or extraordinary ability greater than what is considered normal. What was normal for me was to drink and use drugs daily. Taking responsibility was the required step to move forward and change my life.

For Joe and anyone else who makes a mistake at work, owning a mistake without blame and then proactively creating solutions is indeed a special ability. 

Taking Responsibility Beyond Mistakes

But taking responsibility is much more than just mistakes. It's owning everything that happens in your day and your life. It means not blaming the economy, customers, vendors, colleagues, or anyone or anything else for what is happening. Remember, you can change what you don't own. 

Taking responsibility gives you power. Blaming others makes you powerless. When taking responsibility, you overcome obstacles. You control your response, not others' actions. The facts remain the same, but you decide what steps to take.

There are great opportunities when you take responsibility. You can turn setbacks into positives. 

You can own failures and learn from mistakes, making you a more valuable employee. Learning to identify what went wrong and how to improve is a great skill to improve. Share your mistakes and solutions with trusted advisors or colleagues to maximize learning. 

Failing fast and forward propels growth. Steve Jobs led Apple to revolutionize tech by learning from failures. 

Taking Responsibility Leads to Success

By taking responsibility and focusing his energy on what needed to happen instead of what happened, Joe came up with a solution that got the store online in time for their grand opening. He was then promoted two months later. His boss even pointed out that how he handled the grand opening mistake was one of the reasons he felt confident in moving him into the new position. 

People will forget the details of your mistake but are less likely to forget how you handled it. And they'll never forget how you rock your superhero cape.

Known as The Daily Performance Expert, Doug Fleener is an ex-addict turned successful CEO, business advisor, keynote speaker, and coach. His extensive experience and journey of over 30 years in recovery and business give him a unique perspective with proven expertise and fast, high ROI results. His new book is The Day Makes the Year (Makes a Life): Transform your work and life with One-Day Success.