By Christine Pienaar Responsibility is all about taking ownership for your work and carrying your fair share of the load. It is a value associated with accountability, and involves “making things right when you’re responsible for a mistake, admitting when you are wrong, and seeing tasks and projects through until they are done – and done well” (Hubspot, n.d). Three EQ skills that foster this are Impulse Control, Independence and Assertiveness.
Impulse Control
Is “the ability to resist or delay an impulse, drive or temptation to act, and involves avoiding rash behaviours and decision making” (MHS, 2011). A key component of taking responsibility for your work and actions is being able to effectively and constructively control your emotions. You might not always feel like doing the work you have committed to, but impulse control will help you pull through and deliver despite that. Responsibility is also intrinsically linked to productivity, which, in turn, is rooted in impulse control. Team members who are quick to jump to conclusions, multi-task excessively, and are overly spontaneous most likely need to foster the skill of impulse control. On the other hand, teams that can focus, limit distractions and keep to the task at hand are teams that possess the ability to control their impulses.
Independence
Is “the ability to be self-directed and free from emotional dependency on others. Decision-making, planning, and daily tasks are completed autonomously” (MHS, 2011). A team that is responsible is one equipped to make decisions independently and work in a self-directed manner. An example of the type of typical behaviour that undermines independence is micro-management. Not allowing your team members to take initiative and bring their ways of doing things to the table is a sure way to crush independence. Letting go of perfectionism, practising delegation, and learning to trust your team is a crucial step in the direction of fostering responsibility.
Assertiveness
Involves “communicating feelings, beliefs and thoughts openly, and defending personal rights and values in a socially acceptable, non-offensive, and non-destructive manner” (MHS, 2011). Part of taking healthy responsibility for your work is having good boundaries and knowing when to say “no”. Team members who lack assertiveness won’t be able to take full responsibility for the work they do, as they will be overwhelmed and stretched. They also won’t express their ideas or opinions freely, which means that they won’t necessarily take ownership of the work they are assigned, as they won’t have added anything of themselves to the task.
