In his article on page 39, Glenn Traylor uses an excellent Trumanesque phrase while addressing people in leadership positions — “In the truss business, the ‘puck’ stops with you.” Of course, we all know that the phrase, “the buck stops here,” is focused on the idea that the person in charge is ultimately responsible for what happens from their decisions. What it has made me think about, however, is how the people not in charge react to the possibility of being responsible.
When People Deny Responsibility Too Loudly
I’m sure we’ve all seen, at least once or twice, a situation when some loudly protested, “but I’m not responsible.” Often, that happens shortly after something in which they were involved does not end well. Maybe this has only been my experience, but — the louder the protest, the more it has been a case of someone who could have acted to change the outcome but chose not to act.
Why do people choose not to act? Typically, it’s a combination of reasons, including fear, apathy, and habit, to name a few. They may be unsettled, uninterested, or unaware of how their actions are contributing to unacceptable results. But, how much does that choice of inaction actually make them more responsible for the negative outcome?
“Not Responsible” But Choosing to Act
My next question is — of the bad situations you’ve seen, how many of them could have been lessened, ameliorated, or even prevented if someone had acted to change the outcome sooner? Hopefully, the situations you’ve seen were relatively minor, and no lasting harm resulted. Even so, of the situations where you may have been involved personally, did/do you wish that you had done more to change the outcome?
Even when we’re not responsible, the positive effects of taking action may the outweigh negative consequences of inaction. It’s up to us to recognize this and act accordingly.