We live in a world of excuses.
A world where the majority of its inhabitants will run through hoops just to evade responsibility.
They want convenience; they donโt want repercussions or having to deal with uncomfortable truths.
The rare ability to take responsibility, therefore, can speak volumes about a personโs character in this day and age.
By taking responsibility and owning up to shortcomings, theyโre separating themselves from everyone else.
Theyโre the ones with integrity, theyโre the leaders, the badasses of society.
So if you want to join this elite club, your behaviors have to line up.
In this article, Iโll walk you through the traits of people who donโt shy away from responsibility.
Letโs get to it!
1) They take accountability
This oneโs a no-brainer.
People who value the principle of accountability tend to take responsibilityโsometimes even when theyโre not fully to blame.
They will accept ownership of their actions, decisions, and consequences, rarely shying away from admitting fault.
Accountability is such a refreshingly rare trait these days.
So when someone has it, it should be considered an invaluable asset.
If a few more people took accountability in the world, weโd be living in a far better place.
Think about it: there are literally thousands of incompetent and corrupt politicians in the world actively stealing taxpayer money.
Yet when theyโre questioned about why the economy is tanking, theyโll almost always evade accountability, shifting blame to everyone but themselves.
Spineless, I know.
But the sad reality of the world is that taking accountability is a dying art form.
Itโs our job to revive it.
2) They have integrity
Taking responsibility and having integrity go together like the mashed potatoes and gravy you had over Thanksgiving dinner.
Integrity means acting morally and doing whatโs right even when nobody is watching.
People with integrity arenโt typically motivated by social media validation, outdated holy books, or self-interest.
They will choose to uphold their moral and ethical principles for no underlying motive other than doing the right thing.
Going back to the example of politicians, I canโt help but wonder how many of them are genuine.
Behind closed doors, do they uphold the same principles, like taking responsibility, as they do when theyโre surrounded by phone cameras and the press?
Call me a cynic, but I have my doubts.
3) Theyโre proactive
Sometimes, when nobody wants to take responsibility, say in the workplace, this will delay things unnecessarily.
People will be uneasily twiddling their thumbs as the supervisor tries to weed out a guilty party.
Rather than waiting for things to happen, a proactive, assertive person might either take the fault or take the initiative to actively engage in solving the problem.
Theyโll get the process started early so potential solutions can be draftedโrather than let the stalemate continue indefinitely.
4) Theyโre highly reliable
The great leaders and achievers of the world are almost always reliable.
Theyโre consistent, dependable, responsible.
Do you know who isnโt reliable?
The hungover college student who is flunking out of school because theyโre too busy partying or smoking weed to focus go to class.
Rather than own up to their reckless behavior, they might seek to blame others rather than fully come to terms with their own issues.
And yes, Iโm speaking from experience.
5) Theyโre resilient
Real talk: resilient people tend to be more embracing of their mistakes than everyone else.
This is because, rather than blame external factors, theyโll use setbacks and challenges as a means to growthโand ultimately, to bounce back stronger.
Hence, theyโll take responsibility for their shortcomingsโknowing that being wrong is an ordinary, even acceptable, part of the human experience; and that, extreme cases aside, thereโs no shame in it.
I remember when I lost my business in the pandemic, my first reaction to my growing misfortune was to look for blame.
In my head, I thought it was my staffโs fault, my girlfriendโs fault, or even my parentโs fault for not raising me to handle money like a shrewd accountant.
But at the end of the day, I came to the realization, that there was really nobody to blame but myself.
I was the owner, the CEO, the founder. It was my business.
So I began to gradually take responsibility, rather than dwell on everyone elseโs potential mistakes.
By embracing and acknowledging my blunders, I learned new perspectives.
I became tougher, mentally and emotionally; I became wiser; and I became more resilient.
In hindsight, taking responsibility was one of the best decisions of my life.
6) They have empathy
Letโs be honest, many people would happily screw others over, if it means not having to fess up.
We see this behavior between reality game show contestants all the time, so what more real life?
Sure, these folks might feel a fleeting tinge of guilt here and there, but their actions still donโt fundamentally affect them to their cores.
The person with empathy and compassion, on the other hand, has a firm understanding of the impact of their actions on others.
They know, for instance, that if they donโt take responsibility, someone elseโsomeone undeservingโmight take the fall.
Thatโs enough for the empathetic person to admit their fault.
They have an inherent consideration and kindness towards others and their feelings, and their decisions in life usually reflect that.
Final words
Itโs time we collectively started looking at the bigger picture.
As weโve established, most will evade blame just to avoid discomfort and inconvenience.
But this is a short-sighted way of going about things.
The truth is, every time you take responsibility in life, youโre investing in yourself and your character.
Every time you choose to take accountability, youโre becoming better, more mature, and wiser than you were previously.
You learn more about yourself (as I did) and about the person youโre capable of becoming.
So donโt just take responsibility for the sake of it, do it because itโs the right thing to doโand because itโs good for you, mind, body, and soul.
You got this.