describe two different situations where you and someone/something else have responsibilities towards each other, and list what the responsibilities are.
Answers
Answer:
Abigail manages a team of exceptional people, who work well together to accomplish their goals.
However, one person, Jim, regularly causes problems with the rest of the group. For instance, he consistently misses deadlines. When asked why, he points the finger at one of his teammates, instead of admitting that it was his own procrastination that caused him to fail.
Jim's behavior has a significant negative impact on the team. People don't want to work with him, and they resent his apathetic attitude and his unwillingness to change his behavior.
It can be frustrating to have people like Jim on your team. However, there are steps that you take to put things right. In this article, we'll discuss strategies that you can use to do this.
What Causes a Lack of Responsibility?
People duck responsibility for reasons ranging from simple laziness or a fear of failure, through to a sense of feeling overwhelmed by the scale of a problem or a situation.
Whatever the reason, if people fail to take responsibility, they'll fail in their jobs, they'll fail their teams, and they'll fail to grow as individuals. All of this makes it important to address the issue.
Signs of Not Being Responsible
Sometimes it isn't obvious when people are shirking their responsibilities, but there are several signs to watch out for.
These include:
Lacking interest in their work, and in the well-being of the team.
Blaming others for mistakes and failures.
Missing deadlines.
Avoiding challenging tasks and projects, and not taking risks.
Regularly complaining about unfair treatment by team leaders and team members – and engaging in self-pity.
Avoiding taking initiative, and being dependent on others for work, advice, and instructions.
Lacking trust in team members and leaders.
Making excuses regularly – they may often say "It's not my fault," or, "That's unfair."
Ways to Encourage Responsibility
When team members don't take responsibility for their actions, some managers may just hope that the problem goes away. Others may try to remove these people from their teams completely.
Tip:
By using these strategies, you'll be able to go a long way toward getting people to take responsibility.
Some people, however, simply may not be mature enough to do the job. Do what you sensibly can, but don't keep them "hanging around" once you've exhausted all reasonable options. (Clearly, make sure that you fully comply with national employment law and internal HR policies when you take any action.)
Tip 2:
As you work through this process, document everything, so that you can explain your actions if challenged.
Key Points
People who don't take responsibility for their work or actions are likely to have a negative impact on their team. Look for apathy, finger pointing, missed deadlines, or phrases like "It's not my fault" to spot team members who are avoiding accountability.
To help people take more responsibility for their work, provide them with the skills and resources to actually do their job. Then, set up an environment that makes it easy for them to change, and help them to take responsibility for their decisions and actions.
You can do this by:
Providing adequate resources.
Communicating roles, responsibilities, and objectives.
Re-engaging your team.
Helping team members to take control.
Avoiding micromanagement.
Giving praise.
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