Own It

I know that you are tired of your same old problems week after week. What are you doing about it? Are you taking full ownership?

No doubt that you are working hard, but working harder isn’t the solution. If you DECIDE to take full ownership of everything that you do….and why wouldn’t you take full responsibility for your own actions – only then will you have real control over the outcomes.

And you can stop behaving like a victim. It is victim thinking every time you think that someone else has to “fix this”.

I get frustrated with managers who don’t “own” the performance of their crummy, lazy salesperson. It’s easy to blame him and everyone buys right into that. I’m annoyed with CEO who allows his sales manager to fight with employees and vendors, even though the CEO knows that the guy has little management talent.

Here’s a mantra for 2008: say to yourself repeatedly, “here’s what I am going to DO about that”.

Imagine that you are sitting on the first baseline at a Red Sox Game (World Champs, by the way). At the 7th inning stretch, you go and sit with a friend in his seats on the third baseline. For the last four innings you’re still watching the same game, but your view is different. Elements will come into your field of visions that you didn’t see earlier. When you see the whole picture you increase your choices in the action you take.

Change your point of view and everything changes. Go ahead and change your seat at the game.

Start saying, “here’s what I am going to DO about that”