Perspectives That Serve # 20 - Responsiblity

“Well... they are multi-purpose pliers.” When the defense contractor spokesman for Pratt and Whitney was questioned about charging the Pentagon $999.00 for a pair of ordinary pliers, this was his response.

“Everybody kept their shoes there. The maids...everybody.” Imelda Marcos on why there were more than 3,000 pairs of shoes in her closets a Malacanang Palace.

I struggle with taking responsibility just like you do. I’m generally convinced the problem lays with every one else just like you are. We are probably both right. We are not the ones responsible. The problem is that that attitude or mind set leaves us in a negative emotional state feeling victimized and dis-empowered.

Brian Tracey says the short cut to positive emotions is to take responsibility. He recommends the regularly repeating the affirmation, “I am responsible”, “I am responsible” regularly throughout the day. Try it.

Another one of my favorite authors is John G. Miller. I recommend his short classic on the subject, QBQ! The Question Behind The Question. John eloquently describes how certain questions take us down the wrong path.

“When is management going to _______?”
“Why are we always so _________?”
“When are the customers going to _______?”
“Who is supposed to be _________?”
“Why do I always have to _________?”

He suggests replacing them with empowering questions like:

“What can I do to improve ________?”
“How can I do _______ better today?”
“How can I support _______?”
“How can I adapt to ________?”
“What can I do to increase _______?”

Early in my sales career, a manager from one of the other departments called me to let me know about a problem on one our projects. I immediately realized I had blown it and told him so. There was this long pause on the other end of the line. Finally he replied, "I don't think I've ever heard a marketing rep take responsibility for a problem before". Apparently he was all ready for a battle and to make his case. Quite unintentionally I took the wind out of his sales. From that day forward I always maintained a great relationship with that manager.

The perspective or additude of personal responsibility is critical if you want to be a servant salesperson. The buck must stop with you. This doesn't mean that you are to blame for everything that goes wrong. It does mean you see yourself as responsible in making sure your customers are delighted at the end of the day. If something does go wrong... and it will... it is your job to coordinate making it right. It is also your job to gain influence over time with in your company. It is your responsibility to work with peers, supervisors, and subordinates to insure systems and processes are constantly being improved.