What can you be blamed for?

What a wonderful privilege to be an outsider.

With distance can come perspective, yes, and that is vital but distance also removes you from responsibility.

I know those people who at work and on boards and in their communities always seem to avoid direct responsibility. They’re the first to offer comment about something they aren’t ultimately in charge of: have you thought about this, why didn’t you do that, how can you think that’s good enough?

What can you be blamed for? Right now, is there something you want someone else to take the hit for that really you should say: this is on me and I'll do better next time? #1thingilearned

A post shared by Christopher Wink (@christopherwink) on Jan 19, 2017 at 3:57pm PST

All great organizations and initiatives need that outside perspective to push them to be better or see things differently. But are you making sure to be an insider sometimes too? Things look differently there.

The possibility of blame is a powerful motivator. It’s easier to give blame than receive it. So ask, are you taking responsibility enough? Or put another way, are you the one who gets the blame if something goes wrong and are you willing to receive it?

When you always cast yourself as an outsider, you never have to take responsibility for action or results. What a privileged place to reside

— Christopher Wink (@christopherwink) March 3, 2016