Agility Begins with Responsibility

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Agility Begins with Responsibility

Doug DeCarlo, Principal, The Doug DeCarlo Group

July 2, 2007






Ants are a good example of agility at its best. This last weekend, in the midst of doing some gardening, I inadvertently trampled on a bustling ant colony. Initially, the ants scattered in all directions, but then regrouped and went about their business as if nothing happened. The adversity didn’t seem to phase them.
 
If this were a colony of people instead of ants, it would not be uncommon to assemble a committee and launch an investigation: “Whose idea was it to build the colony along a busy walkway?” Although an investigation can be a useful learning experience to prevent future disasters, these are often exercises in finger pointing and then assigning blame. If ants were people, we would likely hear words to the effect of: “I was just following orders.” Or, “I told you guys we should be building the colony two feet more to the east.” Or even, “Great. Now we have to rebuild the mound.”
 
What’s happening here? In the quest to hold someone accountable for the mistake, no one takes ownership--call it responsibility--for causing the problem or for solving the problem.



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