The Rare Responsible Person

• Self motivating
• Self aware
• Self disciplining
• Self improving
• Acts like a leader
• Doesn't wait to be told what to do
• Never feels "that's not my job"
• Picks up the trash laying on the floor
• Behaves like an owner

This description of "the rare responsible person" is part of Netflix's slide deck detail their culture (if you get to see the whole slide deck, do so, it makes for a very interesting read).  This had so much impact on me that I printed it and stuck it on my my wall next to my desk at work.

This is what I aspire to be.  Day by day, or rather action by action, I try to implement this pattern of thinking and behaviour.  This is not easy, or in many cases fun, but to me it is very important.

I see regularly people in my work life and home life (including me) fall short of the above.  Take for example "that's not my job".  We are all guilty of this.  How do I know?  Because I can see litter in the street from where I am sitting.  100 people have probably seen that and walked straight past it.  More explicitly I hear these exact words being spoken at work - very often by people who have the skills and resources to help, but simply not the appetite.  This is not their problem, this is not their job.  Yet, wouldn't we all be that much more successful, happy, supported if the people around us saw that helping us/each other was absolutely part of their job.  Not just helping when it suited or there was something in it for them, but helping when it was inconvenient and costly to them too.

Rather than just skimming over the above bullet points, I implore you to read each one at a time, really think about what it means, particularly in those inconvenient cases and decide to act on it.

Assuming that anyone can adhere to all the above 100% of the time is probably implausible, but, certainly making small changes to our behaviour and becoming more responsible day to day is not.

I only have one quibble with the definition above as it stands, and that is the word "rare".  Whilst maybe it is true now, wouldn't it be great to change that?  Wouldn't it be great to be able to assume the person sat next to you abidded by the above sentiment?

Spread the word, let's do it!