credit and responsibility

I don't know if I have written about this before, but it is on my mind again today, so here we go. Last night I visited with a couple of stellar human beings who are doing awesome things. They don't want any credit, they don't want to be noticed, they don't even want to be thanked. The joy of doing the thing is all that they need.

It is human nature to need a pat on the back from time to time. Sometimes though, we humans are too interested in receiving credit. If you are involved in a good idea and someone asks you about it, do you immediately take the credit, or do you deflect it to others who worked on the idea too?

I think it is bad form to take the credit. When we do, we tend to sound like, its all about me. If you generated something good, don't worry, you won't have to blow your own horn. Sooner or later, people will figure out that you were involved in that neat thing without you ever saying a word. That is good form.

Responsibility. When something goes wrong, do you take responsibility? Someone once told me that "responsibility belongs to those who are willing to bear it." Now, I want to be careful here. I am working very hard to help teenagers learn to take responsibility. It is not healthy for me to save them all the time. But, if you are a manager, don't blame your subordinates. Who hired them after all? If something goes wrong, take responsibility. When something is wrong and no one takes responsibility, a small scale war can erupt. When someone stands up and takes responsibility, immediately the blame game is over and you can begin to work on making the situation whole.

Human nature says, take credit and dodge responsibility. I think that we should give credit and take responsibility. When we do, relationships are healthier, people are blessed, and you have the opportunity to play the role of the healer.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.