Sunday, September 05, 2010

Seth Godin on taking responsibility

In most organizations, there is intense competition for recognition and promotion. Everyone wants "Authority."

Seth Godin, the irrepressible writer on marketing and the new economy, suggests taking a different approach. In a recent blogpost, he wrote:

"It turns out you can get a lot done if you just take more responsibility instead. It's often offered, rarely taken."

Accept accountability. Volunteer to get things done. Take responsibility for organizing, planning, monitoring, quality control, and meeting deadlines. Other people will shy away from such responsibilities, so you'll get your chance to shine. Leaders are looking for you.

One other tip from Seth:
"You can get even more done if you give away credit, relentlessly."

Seth tends to be a bit of a utopian, but I think he is right in this. Some people will always get ahead through politicking, but many more will succeed through attitude and accepting accountability.

Happy Labour Day! Leaders are looking for you.

1 comment:

DSI Canada said...

Happy Labour Day to you as well. It does makes sense, taking more responsibility and being accountable for a lot of things can or might bring up productivity but it also borders cramming everything. We should also look at the quality of work and not just the quantity of it.

Work SMART not hard!