The responsibility scale below is a way to help leaders and teams identify personal and organizational patterns around taking responsibility. Unhealthy work cultures reward and reinforce one end or the other.
How do the different types of responsibility-taking show up at work?
Reference the examples below and see if you recognize yourself or your team in any of them.
The following is adapted and used with permission from the best article we’ve read about conscious leadership in the workplace, Operational Integrity: the Gateway to Workplace Harmony and Velocity, by Kathlyn T. Hendricks, Ph.D and Gay Hendricks, Ph.D. Find more resources at hendricks.com.
Taking less than healthy, 100% responsibility
Coping quietly, not speaking up when agitated or affected
Reading email or checking your phone in meetings you can't stand
"Forgetting" deadlines and agreements
A leader not voicing her objections when she perceives a course of action will be counter to the values of the organization
Saying something about someone you wouldn’t say in front of them
Blaming others for problems that arise
"Nobody told me what to do!"
"People don't approach me"
Not giving necessary and appropriate feedback because you’re afraid of the other person’s reaction
Putting up with ineffectual meetings and interactions rather than telling the truth about them and participating in improving them
Complaining
"I was hoping they'd notice my hard work"
"I hold meeting after meeting where I say, 'I'd like everyone to open up,' and nobody talks — so I"m not going to hold those meetings any more."
Taking more than healthy, 100% responsibility
"He was going through a really hard time today and left early, but I know how to fix the presentation, so I'll just stay late"
“It looked like you had a lot on your plate, so I went ahead and took a stab at the first draft”
"It's entirely my fault"
"I'll email everyone in the group to remind them of the deadline"
Doing others’ work for them because you can "do it better"
Take over, get resentful with workload, burnout
Consistently working more and more
Overriding or ignoring signs of health risks to complete a project because “everyone is counting on me”
Taking healthy responsibility
Communicating with colleagues instead of bottling up
Sharing discoveries about the connections between actions and results
Assuming everyone can take 100% responsibility and allowing them to do so
Rewarding people for keeping agreements, for example, with appreciation
Forming compensation plans where people are rewarded for taking 100% responsibility rather than 200%
Seeing yourself as the architect or designer of the results you are getting
Sharing/posting the Responsibility Scale with colleagues and inviting discussion on how responsibility is being lived in your team
Questions that can be used to generate healthy responsibility (in oneself or with teams)
I wonder what I really want?
Am I willing to view others as my allies?
Am I willing to take responsibility for the outcome?
What do you notice about your contribution to this situation?
What might the hidden agenda or payoff be in the way you are participating in this issue?
What is familiar about my actions, feelings and responses in this situation?
How might this dynamic be different if everyone took 100% responsibility?
Is there an action step I can take to move me in the direction of what I really want?
Can you do something to minimize or repair any damage to a relationship?
How can you look at this situation differently where you participate as the architect or designer?
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About Crafted Leadership, LLC
Crafted Leadership, LLC educates and guides leaders and teams. After working with us, leaders are equipped to address challenges with ease and creativity. Our proprietary Architecture of Inspiring Leaders model gives leaders a platform from which to grow. Consisting of 13 key skills, the model covers vital aspects of leadership. More information can be found at www.craftedleadership.com