Obligation (as part of the Responsibility Process)

My standard example for obligation is the boring department meeting, that we have to attend once a month, so boring and such waste of time! That’s what we think and still – we go there.

Interesting and sadly, or not so interesting and even more sadly, each and every time when I tell about this example, my conversation partner is nodding. Everybody knows this situation.

If we would take over true responsibility we would…

• … use the time of the meeting and think how to improve it.
• … speak to the organizer and offer your facilitation skills to improve the meeting. Respectfully. 
• … speak to the organizer and collect feedback on the session, smiley- or plus-delta-method are fairly quick and give us information on the mood of the participants.
• (If it turns out to be only you who is critical about this meeting: reflect on your mindset and figure out the positive aspects and advantages that it bringt to you, to the others, to the team, the department, the organizational change. Surely there is some. Focus on it.)
• … offer all our other ideas to the organizer or host on how to improve the meeting. 
• … be a good example and engage in the meeting and include everybody.

… and surely you have more good ideas: use them!

This is what we could do. And there are sooo many opportunities on our workday to practise. Just look out and see: where are you in obligation mode and how could you go into responsibility?

Come back for more…

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