The circumstances in which a person is held accountable for his actions or
decisions performed within his range of power or authority is referred to as
responsibility. A person who is entrusted with the responsibility of performing a
task is considered reliable and trustworthy. On the contrary, a person if found
incompetent to complete the task or performs it in an unsatisfactory way, it is
viewed as demonstrating lack of responsibility. A person who is responsible
avoids making excuses or denies blame. In fact, he will be willing to own the
responsibility in case of a mishap. One of the requirements when aspiring for
leadership positions is high accountability and reliability. As a leader, he is
expected to be responsible not only for himself but also for his subordinates.
Responsibility begets respect and admiration from fellow beings. Therefore, it is
important to cultivate this aspect of character from a very early age.
Children can reach their full potential only if they develop responsibility. It is
better to catch them young to teach them life skills to ingrain responsibility at a
young age. Making them participate in the household chores gives them pride
and a sense of ownership, which they carry with them through the adult years.
Giving them age-appropriate tasks and praising them for their contributions will
help them take initiatives in other situations. It is imperative to inform them the
consequences if they shirk their responsibility.
There are different types of responsibilities. Responsibilities of organizations or
societies are called collective responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is an
example for collective responsibility that aims to support philanthropic goals.
Personal responsibility means being responsible for one’s own actions or
decisions. It helps to accept the outcome of their own choices easily and to
modify their strategies to avoid the same mistakes in future. It is a natural
tendency to shy away from responsibility if one has low self-esteem. It is
therefore imperative to develop confidence that will boost self-esteem to lead a
successful life.