( ENSPIRE Business ) Taking Ownership of Your Actions To Enhance Your Growth
ENSPIRE Contributor: Naomi Stamps
In both personal and professional settings, many people struggle with taking ownership of mistakes made. They either have a “deal with it” attitude or go to great lengths to blame someone else. Besides perfectionism, a fear of appearing unskilled, retaliation, and even stubbornness causes this. While no one enjoys making mistakes (especially if you’re well experienced), not taking ownership has damaging effects. Despite what our minds might say, people actually appreciate it when you take responsibility and work on improving yourself.
For instance, let’s say there’s a task that must be completed. It’s a group effort but one person didn’t carry their weight. Instead of taking ownership, this person argues “It’s not my fault. If I was reminded of the deadline, I would’ve done it.” These types of excuses make you appear unreliable. Besides this, your peers fall behind because of your mistake. It’s not fair to them and it shows you’re incapable of meeting deadlines (which employers don’t appreciate). Consequences aren’t pleasant, but apologizing and assuring that mistakes won’t repeat is an essential trait. It shows that you’re aware of how your actions impact others and you’re committed to bettering yourself.
I’ve dealt with people who struggled with taking ownership of their actions. They didn’t apologize; they didn’t change, and they did everything possible to make it my fault. Whether it was blaming me for their shortcomings or accusing me of something I didn’t do.
This was frustrating and made interactions with certain people tedious since we struggled to move forward. Nobody likes to be around someone who can’t admit when they’re wrong (especially if that person is your boss or a loved one). Everyone can make an error and that’s okay.
Personal and business growth can only happen when you open yourself to taking ownership. If our minds are trained to act differently, we’ll never advance in our goals and career. We need to eliminate the notion that making mistakes means we’re incapable. Practice self-discipline and manage your time wisely to get tasks done.
Be considerate of others’ feelings before you harshly blame them for your mistakes. Take initiative by asking questions beforehand rather than waiting until the last minute. Apologize when you need to in order to maintain strong relationships. Instead of viewing mistakes as a hindrance, view them as a learning lesson. Taking ownership means we are human and want the best for ourselves and others.
For more tips on taking ownership, click here.
Another article you might enjoy: Teamwork for Business Success
