There is so much to say about this weeks reading and Steve Jobs speech. Taking responsibility for ones actions and outcomes is something I do not believe most people live by or teach their children. In fact I did not learn about this lesson until I was around 24 and working for a very large finance company. I was being trained by one of the companies top sales manager and most of the sales staff thought he was very rough around the edges, this is putting it in PG terms. What he was was intense and straight forward. He called it like he saw it. I remember him sitting in with me while I was helping a client and something started to go wrong. When I say wrong I mean something that the customer thought they were getting but the paperwork said different. I remember starting to sweat and get nervous. My manger jumped in and helped fix the situation just with his words. To make this short and sweet he fessed up to the client and told him this is 100% our fault and we will fix it. I know this seems simple to admit when your wrong but believe me it doesn't seem to be best practice for most. My boss called this falling on your sword. I find this works very well when in the working world. Even if it hurts and is embarrassing to fall on your sword it seems to work out better in most situations. Ever since then I try my hardest to live by this mantra.
I really like how Steve jobs explains connecting the dots. It is so true trying to connect them looking forward is very madding and will drive the ordinary person off the ledge. At least for my life and my wife’s there are so many to connect I could not begin to understand how they connect looking forward until something comes together and bam that magical moment happens and it all makes sense.
Really sucks at the end when Steve is talking about his brush with death and how he hoped he will not have to deal with that again at least for another 10 years or so.
David,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like in terms of taking responsibility, your trainer was able to light a spark in your life and got you to enroll into his ideas. Although others were looking at him from the outside, you were able to see past his "roughness" to the truth that he guided himself by. Sometimes people can't handle straightforwardness and call it rude or harsh, but the truth hurts. That's why responsibility is sometimes hard, you have to own up to choices, good or bad, and some just can't handle it.
Wonderful life lesson to have integrity and take responsibility, or fall on one's sword, as you put it. That really does show the quality of a person when they can fully follow that example and we see that so infrequently in our leaders. Thanks for sharing your journey.
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