People with strong Responsibility talents are at their best when they are taking ownership of the things that are the most important.
Responsibility®
A theme in the Executing domain of CliftonStrengths
People exceptionally talented in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Full Theme Description
Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. Your good name depends on it.
If for some reason you cannot deliver, you automatically start to look for ways to make it up to the other person. Apologies are not enough. Excuses and rationalisations are totally unacceptable. You will not quite be able to live with yourself until you have made restitution.
This conscientiousness, this near obsession for doing things right, and your impeccable ethics combine to create your reputation: utterly dependable. When assigning new responsibilities, people will look to you first because they know it will get done.
When people come to you for help -- and they soon will -- you must be selective. Your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should.
This Theme’s Power and Edge
Those with strong Responsibility talents feel a deep sense of dedication toward and ownership of the things they commit to. They are people of their word, and others know they can rely on and trust them. Their conscientiousness, their drive for doing things right and their impeccable ethics combine to create the reputation of being utterly dependable.
How People with Strong Responsibility Talents Describe Themselves
"I am someone others trust to get things done."
"I need freedom to take ownership."
"I love the respect of others."
"I hate disappointing others and being disappointed by others."
"I bring dependability and loyalty."
Theme Contrast
| Responsibility | “If you can’t do it right, don’t do it.” |
| Activator | “Doing something is always better than not doing anything.” |
| Responsibility | “I feel intense guilt when I fail to do something right.” |
| Significance | “I feel intense regret when I miss an opportunity to succeed.” |
Responsibility Helps and Hinders
Helps
You do what you say you are going to do. Others can count on you to follow through.
Your psychological ownership of what you commit yourself to makes you a valuable partner when quality is on the line.
Your Responsibility talents foster a deep sense of trust, which enables you to build strong and lasting relationships.
If you lead a team, one advantage of Responsibility is it enables you to build a sense of loyalty and trust among those you lead. As a result, your team members feel comfortable coming to you for help because they know they can count on you.
Hinders
Because committing to something you're asked to do gives you great satisfaction, you may find that you tend to say "yes" to everything — and find yourself overcommitting. Being responsible is important, but before you take on a new commitment, take time to decide whether you can meet it. Nothing feels worse to you than not being able to keep a commitment.
By nature, you are not particularly good at delegating. Your Responsibility talents can cause you to keep work, projects, assignments on your plate rather than giving them to someone else. If you lead a team, this can cause your team members to miss important developmental opportunities. Remember, you are responsible not only for getting the work done but also for developing the talents and skills of your team members.
Your reliability can cause others to take you for granted and ask you to take on work for which you are not best suited — but you take it on anyway because you can be counted on. Learn which projects would be best accomplished by others.
Your strong Responsibility talents may lead you to micromanage others' work. Learn to let go, advise when necessary, and let others learn and grow from the experience.
If Responsibility is a Dominant Theme for You, Take Action to Maximise Your Potential
Check your schedule and your to-do list before taking on a new request. You will create a realistic opportunity to meet all of your commitments without overworking yourself, and you’ll demonstrate to others your serious approach to your responsibilities.
Keep volunteering for more duties that your experience seems to warrant. You thrive on new responsibilities and can deal with them effectively.
Align yourself with others who share your sense of commitment. You will succeed when surrounded by others who take their responsibilities as seriously as you do.
Remind yourself to say “no.” Because you are instinctively responsible, it might be very difficult to refuse opportunities. For this reason, you must be selective.
Take action to eliminate and prevent unethical behaviour in your organization, and publicly recognise displays of strong ethics.
Make sure you take time to enjoy the completion of your commitments. Responsibility is a source of motivation for you.
Let your manager know that your natural sense of responsibility creates a desire to work independently.
Partner with someone with strong Discipline or Focus talents. This person can help you stay on track and prevent you from becoming overloaded.
Potential Blind Spots to Watch Out for
Because you find it difficult to turn down others’ requests, sometimes you overcommit. Try to manage your Responsibility talents by giving up something before you take on a new task.
Too many obligations can keep you from spending time with the most important people in your life. Remember that sometimes, no is the best answer for the health of your relationships.
If Responsibility Is a Lesser Theme for You
If Responsibility is a lesser theme for you, this does not mean that you are unwilling to make commitments or act ethically. It may mean that you are naturally more proactive and find it more difficult to react and respond consistently.
Talk to your most important partners, colleagues and customers to find out what is important to them and what they expect from you. Routinely follow up with these people to ensure that their expectations have not changed.
Find those among your top themes to help you meet and respond to others’ needs. Developer talents support others’ growth. Activator talents get others started. Positivity talents help others feel better.
Draw on external sources of motivation and accountability to get things done. Use technology, relational accountability or your project management skills to accomplish things in a way that satisfies others’ expectations.
More Resources for Responsibility Theme
Source: Gallup®
“I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.”
— John D. Rockefeller Jr., philanthrophist