Self-Responsiblity and Self-Esteem

An important part of building self-esteem is building self-responsibility. In our times this has become more urgent for our work places and, in some cases, our families. Many organizations are downsizing and need more self-sufficient employees, and many families consist of individuals, each of whom has their own demanding schedule. We need to know how to create environments in which people are accountable for their choices, behavior, and results.

Here are some of the ways that managers can encourage self-responsibility in the workplace. You might find some of these points applicable to your family as well.

1- Give permission to fail. The only way to learn and to succeed is through failure. Almost every successful person has had lots of failures along the way. Instill the belief that if you don’t learn to fail, you fail to learn.

2- Make sure that tasks are clear and that the resources to accomplish tasks are readily available. There is nothing more undermining to one’s sense of responsibility and self-esteem then to not know what is expected and/or not having the tools to get it done.

3- Along with clear tasks set specific, measurable goals. This is the most effective way to create accountability. A real bonus for enhancing self-responsibility is also involving the employee in setting goals.

4-Ensure that employees know the company vision and how they are part of that vision. It is not enough just to know the company vision. In order to completely understand one’s responsibility it’s important to know how it fits into the bigger picture.

5- Have regularly scheduled check-in times. This is the time to review where your employee is in relation to goals, visions, resources, and to make needed adjustments. It’s also the time to reinforce permission to fail.

6- Listen. Just listening with empathy and giving someone your full attention so that they know their concerns are important, empower people. Often, being listened to in this way enables people to come to their own solutions, and reinforces self-responsibility.

7-Give lots of acknowledgment. It’s free and it goes a long way to aid someone in reinforcing success and self-sufficiency.

8-Empower decision-making. Whenever possible, let the employee make their own decisions along the way to attaining their goals. This reinforces commitment to and ownership of the goal. This can’t happen if you’re a micro-manager, so it’s important to be aware of that and take steps to let it go. Any steps taken to encourage self-responsibility will be undermined by micro-management.

Not all of these steps apply equally to everyone in every situation. They are meant to be guides to building a more self-sufficient work force. If the ones that apply to your situation are implemented, the result will be more responsible action and better results.