whose job is it anyway?
I have found my trusty soap box for this week’s post. Personal responsibility, it seems to be becoming a thing of the past. In business you ofttimes may hear about someone “passing the buck”. The trickle up or down effect that lays the blame for something at the feet at the next person in line. Playing the blame game, pointing fingers all lead to the same thing. Avoidance of accountability and personal responsibility.
the blame game
No one likes being under the gun or in the line of fire when something goes wrong. Depending on the severity of the crime you can cause an inordinate amount of harm pointing fingers at the other guy. “It’s above my pay grade” is another one. The sigh of relief is almost palpable when that one is used and the realization is apparent that someone else is going to have to answer to this one. I also think that maybe there is some tacit inference that you would have done it differently if in that position?
accountability
Give’em Hell Harry was known for the phrase, “the buck stops here” and as president it certainly should have. I think that we all need a return to those days. You don’t have to be a person in authority to take responsibility, apologize and try to right a wrong.
Try it sometime and watch how quickly you can take the air out of the sails of someone that is angry. Repeat after me. “You are right, I am sorry and I am going to try and make it better” That statement can heal an infinite amount of hard feelings. Feeling out of control has to be one of the most frustrating feelings that there is. When something goes wrong and you’ve done everything right, that is a feeling that you’ve lost control. People just don’t react well to that.
my story
In the recent past I have had several encounters that left me with a bad taste in my mouth (thus this post). Rennie and I had some car trouble. We had just reached our destination and were unloading the car and when going to park realized that the car wouldn’t start. We tried fixing it ourselves but to no avail. Called the multi-lettered company that we paid an annual fee to and requested assistance. Multiple calls and 4 hours later we finally had someone arrive for this emergency. When exclaiming to the gentleman about the wait, his reply was, you guessed it-“I’m just the driver ma’am”. No apology, no explanation.
I cancelled that service when I got home.
I received a bill from a local lab. Three calls to customer service about a bill that had been paid- I had the evidence and provided this over the phone. Why was I doing all of the work? They had posted it to the wrong account. When I called again to inquire whether it had been fixed they said the check was in the mail. In reality it was sent via snail mail 7 days after conversation-RES-PONSI-BIL-ITY. All it took was checking their records to see when it was processed.
pride of ownership
How many times have you gone to a restaurant and the food was inedible? If you’re going to do a job then do it right. (the first time). Along with personal responsibility and accountability we seem to have lost our pride. Pride in a job well done. If you are in public service and work for yourself or a company, take pride and responsibility in what you do and deliver. You should never refer to your self as “just a …something”. Whatever you are doing you should never think of your self as “just”. Have pride in the fact that you are providing a service. Whether it is big or small you never know when it can have a large impact on someone’s life.
If a mistake is made, whether it is due to process or policy. You are the face they see and yours is the face that they will remember when it comes time to make the selection again. If you agree to provide a service then you have a personal obligation to make it the best of your ability. Personal responsibility begins with owning what is wrong and making it right. It may mean that you are making an apology for something someone else did. Take it up at that level-later. Own who you are and what you represent. Embrace the pride in being you. Let the buck stop with you, where it belongs.
stepping off of the soapbox
O.K. I am finished ranting. I like to think that I have always taken responsibility in my actions and interactions. And readily appreciate when someone else does the same.
I recently had an episode occur with a major airline. We missed a connecting flight due to their error. Each leg of our trip coming and going resulted in delays and inconvenience. I made the appropriate complaints when we arrived home. The staff at the customer service desks were exemplary and they had a very large angry crowd to deal with. They took personal responsibility. And although it took numerous emails on my part to the company, they ultimately did the right thing. The end result is that they have retained me as a loyal customer. All it took was an apology and an acknowledgement of accountability.
I leave you for now, personally and responsibly,
Sassaleeyours…