While I do believe that we are responsible for bringing good to other people in our contact with them, I have noticed, especially in politicians, an arrogance where someone believes that they are smart enough to control other peoples’ lives. Traditionally they do this by limiting choices through regulation and taxation in a social engineering experiment that, in turn, steals the responsibility people have for running their lives well. This also causes the productive ones among us that are normally open to giving and sharing, to have no reason to share but to pull back and not work harder in an endeavor, since additional success can become punishment through the regulation and taxation.

Sometimes I see leaders doing this by limiting information or choices that the people around them have.  Yesterday though, I was in a conversation with a great leader who allows people around him to make decisions.  He uses the phrase many times “You are at a fork in the road.  What are you going to do?  Why?”  This causes people to be responsible for their choices and to think through the options.  It builds a habit where people realize that every interaction is a fork in the road to make the relationship and results either better or worse.  It is up to them to decide what to do and how to do it.

• How do you get people information and teach them to make choices?

• Are they expending as much, if not more effort, in making decisions as you do?

• Do they clearly see the fork in the road in every interaction?

If you are excited about creating mutual accountability and better decision making by your leaders and managers, contact us by calling 800-786-4332, or email Info@AppliedVisionWorks.com.  It only takes 30 minutes to get started!  Your success is in plain sight.  It just takes determination and action!