Transfer Up and Down

Yesterday I came to see how much people treat me the way they do in my life because I accept the way the treat me.

I have learned that some people have the modus operandi of always "transferring responsibility and accountability" down - when what they really do is transfer blame. Failures to perform in the midst of trying circumstances including overwork, under-resourcing, and h0stile environments become examples of how an individual "failed" to perform their tasks.

And for many years I have accepted this.

What I came to see - in a blinding flash of insight - is that this is so because I allow it to be so. Rather than raising the questions at the time, or making cogent points as to why things cannot be as I am charged, I have quietly accepted the matter as "this is the way it is."

I'm going to challenge the status quo on this - because the transfer of responsibility and accountability is only truly effective when the elements of success are also in place. If I fail to perform, it's my fault; if I fail to perform because the appropriate resources are not available, that's the fault of those who assigned the tasks in the first place. This is not, however, a popular thought on the part of the assigners, because blame that is being assigned for failure is being pushed up instead of down.

Accountability and Responsibility are useless without the transfer of the tools to do the task - otherwise, they simply become a potential point of certain failure.

And this - all of this - I have accepted without question.

I will accept it no more.