Understanding and taking responsibility (6)

Chapter 5 

Understanding and taking responsibility

Responsibility in any are of life for the Christian has to be measured by asking this question: "What am I reponsiible for at this time?" That question must be answered in order for a person to go forward on their journey to success.

What focusing on what one is responsible for in the present, it provides guidance for tasks that lead to the ultimate goal as defined by each individual under submission to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and a key mentor or mentors. By submission to mentors, I mean seriously taking into account what they have to say. We don't always have to adhere to their advice, but it would be foolish and simplistic to dismiss it outright.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible talking about taking responsibility is found in Prov. 16:32. It says, "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city." The point is only those with self control - which is identified one of the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) - is able to manage other areas of life. The reason those with self control are better than those that capture a city is if they can take responsibility for their own lives, they are in a position to take responsibility in any area of life.

Anyone powerful and with resources can overwhelm a city or accomplish a deed. But it's one thing to take actions that lead to initial success, and another to be able to continue in that success.

Taking responsibility is not only being able to successfully start something, but the ability and will to be able to finish it. This is why so many people fail after launching a project or business that has a lot of potential. They have the strength and determination to begin, but not the internal commitment and longevity to finish. A scripture that applies in that circumstance is found in Zechariah 4:5-7. It says this:

5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.

6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

If we attempt to accomplish things only by might and power, it's easy to quickly fall by the wayside when we realize the initial push to accomplish something will take longer and more steps than originally understood. We are not in a sprint but a marathon. Those that comprehend and embrace this will look at the mountain like Zerubbable did and know it will be leveled. That's what "by my spirit" means. No amount of strenuous effort can make something happen for a believer. It's those that plant and water over a period of time, with God given the increase according to His will and timing, that brings success. Again, I'm not talking about sitting around waiting for a miracle that isn't likely to come. I'm talking about being faithful in taking responsibility and faithfully discharging the duties we have right now. Only that can lead to the next step, and the step after that.

Walking in this way gives room to the sovereignty of God and keeps up from trying to force something to happen in our timing and by our efforts. Those that do this end up burning out, and in many cases never recover. They are so convinced they're doing the will of God because they're working so hard, they never think of the fact it is by the Spirit of the Lord where things are accomplished without all the stress many people have within themselves because they're attempting to make it happen in their own strength.

We are to do what we are required to do, and make room and time for God to do His part. All we can do is plant and water. The rest is in the hands of God. We have to have faith in Him that He will bless us or give us the wisdom to adjust and adapt to various circumstances as they arise.

Identifying areas of responsibility

One of the most important things a person can do on the road to success, once the means and goal of success is identified (business to get into), is to take inventory concerning what responsibilities need to be taken in order to accomplish the goal.

That means knowing what has to be our responsibility alone, and what we can farm out for others to do. We never should give up control of the core aspect of the business which defines it. To do so puts your brand in the hands of someone else that could never care for it the way you do.

To identify what needs to be our sole responsibility or responsibilities within the business, we need to make a list of what the business requires to be operational and effective. At first write everything down on a piece of paper or digitally in order to get a full picture of the inner workings of the business or proposed business. Once that's done, go through the list and separate that which you see as vital and that which is ancillary to the core of your business.

After that is completed, go through the list of things you consider most important, and shrink the number down to as few as you feel comfortable with. You comfort zone should be wide enough here to allow you to give up some control. If you can't do that, you're in trouble. The reason why is this exercise is about more than identifying areas you need to have responsibility over, but also an exercise to see what your willingness to relinquish control of parts of the business which will release you to do what is most important.

If we have the attitude nothing can be done right without us, we're going to limit ourselves in a major way because we won't be able to leverage the expertise and responsibilities others take to make the business grow.

There is no right or wrong way here. Just remember if you're unwilling to give up control in some areas of the business, you'll limit its size or burn out trying to do more than you're able to. If you're the type that prefers to work alone, that's fine. Only realize the limitations you face concerning growth.

Another reason to do this is we all really need to understand the core vision of the business and what it is trying to be accomplished. Writing it down helps us to write it down in a way that forces us to think everything through. After all, how can we take responsibility if we don't have a clear idea of what those responsibilities are? Making a list of the requirements of the business is the most effective way I've found of discovering what the business needs to function and grow.

If you're starting from scratch and have to do everything yourself at the beginning, don't get discouraged. I've done that several times in my life, and as I generated revenue I perfected what needed to be done in every area of the business so when it was time to pass some of it on to others, I was able to clearly communicate my expectations and what the person was to take responsibility for. Unless we have a lot of resources to work with, this is how most of us will have to start.

What is to be understood is we have to know what the most vital parts of the business are in order for it to succeed, and do them ourselves, or eventually hire a very competent person to do it. That can be an employee or a freelancer. It depends on the type of business and the types of tasks that need to be done and at what intervals. By intervals I mean whether or not it's something that needs to be done daily, or only occasionally.

Accountability

After writing things down and getting a grasp on responsibilities required within the business or project, from there we move on to accountability.

When talking about accountability, we're talking about measuring results. That can be done with programs or software we may use in a business, or workers doing their jobs. If it's an Internet business, testing different types of ads or marketing efforts can be done in order to see what works best.

Accountability isn't only about people, it's about the tools within the business we use to run as an effective business as we can. That's why it's just as important to do research on tech tools we use as much as it is to participate in due diligence concerning employees or freelancers.

Until we take inventory of our goals and methodology to reach those goals, we're not really able to be held accountable for our choices. We can't measure something that isn't understood. Understanding the vision and specific responsibilities needed to reach the goal must come first, and then decisions on what is needed to empower the business - whether technology or workers, can then be made. Responsibilities come first, accountability follows.

Power of responsibility

There's an amazing truth associated with life that can enhance and improve the chances of success in whatever we do. It is the reality that whatever areas of life we are willing to voluntarily take responsibility in, authority and power will follow or flow to those doing so. Try it some time. I've never seen it fail. Who is going to resist someone willingly serving them? And as we get better in what we do, even more power and authority is available if we choose to take it.

By power and authority I'm not talking about dominating people. I'm talking about people seeing you're good at what you serve in, and they cede that authority and power to you in that area of their lives. If you are married and have children, or are single with friends ... try this. Just start serving in an area that needs improvement with those you are in contact with, and you'll see everyone around you start to look to you as a leader. I'm not talking about taking away the responsibility another person already has, but rather finding something that doesn't get done well and simply doing it, and doing it well.

Just try it as a short-term experiment without telling anyone, and see how it works out. Once you have confidence in the concept, apply it to your business or project. Authority will flow to those that take responsibility. The key to building wealth is making sure you choose something that has a big enough market to succeed in, and people with enough money to pay for the product or services you offer. All you have to do is make someones life better at a price they're willing to pay, and you'll have an excellent chance at reaching your goals.

How to be responsible

To finish this part of the book off. we'll now talk about how we can be responsible. There are clues scattered throughout this chapter, but I'll get specific with them here.

First of all, there is no secret in how to be responsible. All we have to do is to be willing to serve. But responsibility, while needing a servant's heart, must go beyond that. Being responsible isn't only showing up to do the work, it's taking the time to become the best we can at it. That's what separates decent businesses from great businesses, which means it delineates between those that have a higher chance of failing and those that have a great chance at success.

This is why low prices can never be what differentiates you from a competitor. It's fine at the beginning, where you're trying to get your foot in the door and generate some revenue. But we need to get so good at what we do and offer significant value, that when we decide to raise the price of our products or services, our customers won't blink an eye after they do a little grumbling. By that time they should be so appreciate of your service they'll be more than willing to pay what you ask to retain it. Just keep in mind the health of the economy has to taken into consideration when raising prices. I've seen service businesses like office or home cleaning lose big contracts because they tried to raise prices at the wrong time.

As far as how to be responsible to give you a great chance at retaining a high percentage of your customers, it's nothing more than learning every aspect of your business, doing what you say when you say you will, at the price you promised. And when that is done, offer some type of bonus as a surprise to delight your customer or customers.

Another important part of how to be responsible is to make sure you remain in contact with your customers so you know if there is something more they want you aren't providing, or something has come up you're not aware of concerning your existing products or services.

It may surprise some that the first time you learn you're losing the business of a customer is when they tell you. Keeping in constant communications and responding to feedback is the answer to that type of negative surprise.

Obviously there are customers that only do business based upon price alone. Other than at the beginning of your business, this type of customer won't be the type to help you reach your goals. You want to differentiate in such a way they will pay, within reason, the price for doing business with you.

Eventually, once you get busy, you'll find you only want to deal with that type of customer. Those doing business with you based only on price will also be those making the most demands on your time. Trust me on that. I've owned and operated, or ran businesses for other for decades, and that pattern is always there if you're competing only on price.

To be responsible we need to be willing to serve, and willing and able to become an expert in what we do. The last major area in taking responsibility is in learning to be efficient. We must take responsibility to streamline our business and lower costs. We don't do this in order to compete on a lower price level, but to increase margin and earnings so we are more profitable.

If we are able to do that, which anyone can when it becomes a priority, we can at that time offer loss leaders (low-priced products used to attract customers) without it hurting our business. If we don't have a lot of room to move on price, a loss leader for a small business can be painful and destructive if we don't use it right. Having a streamlined company allows us to engage in marketing tactics like this at a price level our competitors won't be able to meet.

That said, efficiencies isn't primarily about being able to market. It's about taking the costs out of the parts of the company we can in order to invest it in more productive ways.

Taking responsibility is more than just showing up, it's showing up with skill and an attitude of cutting the fat out of costs in order to generate solid earnings over the long haul. If we choose the right area to compete in, it will greatly increase our chances of success.