There is this guy I went to college with in the early 90s and thereafter we got hired as middle school teachers by government HR agency TSM. Coincidental a decade later we also went to university together sponsored by our employer TSM. Three years after university I made a job switch – I took a position at our employer’s HQ as Assistant Director of HR.
About six years ago I came across the chap, we exchanged the usual pleasantries, and then he said to me;
“I hear you have joined TSM at HQ. You guys are there because you are sons of the system. As for me you know I have always been a rebel that no one can promote”.
What the guy conveniently forgot was his continued absenteeism, coming to work late and in a state that bordered on drunkenness – was responsible for his apparent lack of professional progress. No supervisor would ever recommend him for a position of responsibility.
He attributed spite by the system to his apparent lack of professional progress which can be best explained by his stupidity.
What did he expect will happen to him if he came late to work? A person in control of his mind certainly knows there will be consequences. Because of his stupidity, he is harvesting what he sowed.
Well I am citing this example to encourage us to take personal responsibility for the adverse situations we find ourselves in – instead of blaming external forces.
Former US President, Harry S. Truman made popular a common saying “The buck stops here” to appeal to Americans to take responsibility for their personal lives and their country.
The need to take responsibility for our actions or mistakes is further buttressed by the saying;
“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”.
It doesn’t end there; admitting responsibility and then do nothing about the situation is not good enough.
We have to take corrective action or corrective behaviour. It is through action that we account. And accountability is important in that it demonstrates we won’t repeat the same mistakes over and over.
A little disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. So for anything legal consult your lawyer before admitting responsibility.
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