The Power of Personal Responsibility in Your Career and Life

“Things didn’t work out for a reason, the reason is you make terrible decisions” – Disappointing Affirmations

For real though your life’s choices – from your career path to your values – stem from a single fundamental principle: the power of personal responsibility. The harsh truth is that most people shy away from this idea, allowing fear, not opportunity, to dictate their choices. In this article, I’ll give you my take on what personal responsibility really means and share with you how I learned to cultivate it in my own life – and how it might even change yours.?

The first step toward embracing the power of personal responsibility is to stop looking for something or someone else to blame whenever things go wrong (victim mentality). Let me share a personal experience that drove this home for me. A few years ago, I was preparing for a trip to Des Moines for a business meeting. Before I hit the road, I decided to get the oil changed in my car and have the mechanics check the tires to make sure they were road-worthy. I had a feeling they needed to be replaced and I wanted to get a professional opinion.?

After a couple hours, the mechanics called me and told me the vehicle was ready and assured me the tires were fine. I asked them to look again, I was sure I saw cords on the inside of both front tires, (my dad, @Mike Kroener had mentioned the same to me about a week prior). They called back 30 minutes later and said, “Your tires are fine”.? Trusting their judgment as they are the professionals, I hit the road. After about 3 hours into my drive I was cruising 80 mph down the highway, the steering wheel began to violently shake, so I dialed back on the speed until I got to my cousin’s house, where I’d planned to spend the night. The next morning, I crawled underneath my vehicle to look at the tires myself and I couldn’t believe what I saw.?

Steel mesh and cords were sticking out of the tires on the inside of the wheels. They were completely unfit for the road. My first reaction was to get mad at the mechanics. Truthfully, I thought they were idiots for missing this glaring problem. Then, it hit me: I had ignored my own intuition and placed the responsibility for my choice to drive on someone else. Instead of blindly trusting the mechanics, I should have checked the tires myself, especially since I had doubts. 15 seconds of ME looking under the car, would’ve solved this entire issue.

Of course, most people would put a lot of energy into blaming the mechanics – and while I did let them know they wouldn’t be getting my business again, I didn’t waste much time on it. Honestly, what good does that do? It’s more productive to accept your role in the situation and learn from it. This incident taught me a valuable lesson: when it matters most, don’t just take someone’s word for it. Take the responsibility and the initiative to verify things yourself.?

This idea of personal responsibility is equally critical in the workplace. Dale Carnegie has a principle that states if you make a mistake, own it quickly and emphatically. Consider these two approaches:

Let’s say you make a mistake at work and the boss notices it. Instead of owning up to the mistake, you proceed to give a million reasons why it happened, and then you and the boss waste more time arguing about it.

The better approach is to admit your mistake, apologize, and move on, focusing on solutions instead of the problem. Though it may be uncomfortable at first, this approach demonstrates character and keeps propelling the situation forward. You just need the confidence to own your mistakes instead of making excuses. While that confidence is something most people lack, it’s important to understand that you can develop it with practice.

Building the confidence to take responsibility for your choices starts with a simple idea: getting comfortable with rejection. Most people have the wrong idea about rejection. They equate it with failure when it’s actually a stepping stone to confidence. If you want to get comfortable with rejection, try this simple exercise: next time you’re in line at a store like Walmart or Starbucks, ask the cashier if you can have a small item for free. Most likely, you’ll be turned down. That’s okay. That’s the point. It’s about getting comfortable with hearing the word “no.”?

This practice helps you deal with rejection. It also subtly boosts your confidence to take responsibility for bigger decisions in life and work. And, who knows? You might even get a free pack of gum out of the deal.

Building confidence through handling rejection is a crucial step in mastering personal responsibility. When you learn to face and accept “no” without wavering, you develop resilience. This resilience is key to making independent choices and standing by them, even in the face of adversity or skepticism. For instance, you might reach a point in your career where you need to support an unpopular idea or choose an unconventional path. While facing potential rejection in these scenarios can be daunting, having the confidence to persevere is essential if you want to take full responsibility for your career trajectory.

This practice of confronting rejection and moving forward strengthens your ability to take calculated risks. Whether it’s pursuing a new opportunity, making a significant life decision, or simply stepping out of your comfort zone, the ability to handle rejection ensures that fear of failure or disapproval doesn’t paralyze your decision-making process.?

Ultimately, it’s about understanding that rejection isn’t a reflection of your self-worth, it’s a natural part of growth and progress. Embracing rejection as a learning experience helps you become more equipped to take responsibility for your life, make decisions confidently, and fully own the path you choose to follow.

To truly take charge of your life and career, start with a clear, honest assessment of yourself. Recognize who you are, how you’re perceived, and where you can improve. Also keep in mind that this process is a continual journey, not just a one-time effort. Like compounding interest, the more you invest in personal responsibility, the greater your rewards. Make this mindset a habit, an integral part of your identity, and watch it transform your world. That’s the essence of personal responsibility: making consistent, deliberate choices that lead to success.

So, ask yourself today: What small step can I take right now to embrace greater responsibility? Begin with something manageable, and as you grow, you’ll find that even the biggest challenges become easier to tackle.