Not my Job, Not my Responsibility

 

One of the senior managers in the NHS personalisation team put up a recent quote. The quote read: ‘There was an important job to do and everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but nobody did it. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought anybody would do it, but nobody realised that everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that everybody blamed somebody when nobody did what anybody could have done.’ - C Swindoll

 I love a good quote and I especially love delving deeper into them. As opposed to just appreciating a quote, I try (if I agree with it) to embed it into my learning or implement the teaching into my life. I say in my life, as that is the only control anybody ever has, is in their own life. No-one else's. It is not fault or blame I am talking about, it is the taking of responsibility. 

 When I was younger my dad told me a story (it is religious in nature but it is the ending that resonates, not the spiritual aspect) about something called the metal tablet of fate. Back in the day, there was a very good, pious woman. She was kind and was there for everyone. The only thing that was precious to her was her young son. The son became ill and died. The woman became distressed and sobbed and sobbed. So much so, that God told her to stop as he was worried about her. The woman said to God I have striven to be good all of my life, I have given and given and never asked for anything. Please give me my son back. God showed her a magnificent metal tablet which was as old as time. He said oh dear lady I cannot do so, for it is written on the tablet all things that are to occur before, now until eternity. It is so written and cannot be changed. The lady still sobbing turned to God and asked him who was in charge here, you or the book/Tablet. God thought about it and changed the writing so her son was brought back to life. 

Yes it is a story. Stories are important, everything that has been learnt has been from listening to stories. They teach us what is right and what is wrong, how to act and behave. The implications and the meanings are important. People need to think, consider and strive towards taking responsibility and doing what they are paid to do. Even the almighty and not say thats what's written.

Often from experience, I have learnt that the solution is very simple. Usually, the reason why there is an issue is that it has never been discussed. Once the issue becomes visible people can and usually will find steps to change or improve such things. 

Over the last few weeks, I have become frustrated by this attitude of ‘that is the policy’, regardless of the law and any arguments put against. I have also heard people say ‘that is not in scope or not our responsibility’ regardless of the common sense or benefits it can bring. Again who is in charge here? The policy or the purpose? What is the purpose of the policy in the first place? Often policies mention the principles. In the case of personal budgets, personalisation is about giving people independence, choice and control, the policy however ends up being a list of things that you are not allowed to do. Actually defeating the object of the idea behind the policy. 

I will also hear quite regularly that there is no budget for that. Here I say again, you do not need to make drastic changes or spend money, you just have to look at things differently and with an open mind. An example of this is in space race (again the story is fictional), the story went that the Americans spent millions on developing a pen that writes in space, the Russians just used a pencil. 

Everything that has been achieved by the human race, was at one time considered impossible to do. Often people did it regardless and everyone benefitted. It is good to push ones boundaries. I live in the gorgeous city of Lincoln, we have a three spired cathedral which sits on a very steep hill (actually called Steep hill). The cathedral in all its glory can be seen from miles, I get a particularly stunning view of it when I am being driven into town. I always marvel at its structure, people actually built that without the technology and resources that we have today (The Cathedral held the title as the tallest building in the world from 1311- 1548). The people who built it did not do it for themselves, they knew that in fact it would not even be finished for generations to come; yet they still built it. Why does it seem that we have lost the ability to do similar things, strive for greater things?

Often people feel powerless, the job is either too big or it is not their responsibility, they cannot make a difference and for them I have a story too, it is called the star fish story. 

A man is walking along the beach and he sees thousands of starfish lying on the beach for miles and miles. He starts to pick one up and throws it back. He does this for hours and hours and yet the numbers do not diminish. A man who has been watching the other man for hours walks up to the man who is throwing the starfish in the sea, and says just give up you could do this for days and looking at the amount of starfish on this beach you can't hope to make a difference. The man continues what he is doing. Picks up another starfish and throws it into the sea, and says ‘it made a difference to that one’.

Personally, I believe that if we just pushed ourselves a little and made it our job, take a little responsibility over ourselves and our actions, rather than the go to ‘it is out of my hands, not my job and not my problem’ then we may actually manage to solve a lot of the issues that we face and get things done. Not only that, but knowing you are doing the best not just for yourself but for others as well makes you feel more connected and responsible.  

I will leave you with another quote that I repeat to myself most days ‘whether I think I can or think I cannot I am absolutely right’.