Why do people not take initiatives?
Why people run away from responsibilities?
Why don't people want to be leaders?
The creative world and especially the history of breakthrough ideas suggest that initiative, not experience, is the best indicator of future achievement. Ideas require the bold initiative to gain traction.
Yet, most American workers aren’t interested in becoming managers. At least, that’s what a new CareerBuilder survey seems to suggest. Of the thousands surveyed, only about one-third of workers (34%) said they aspire to leadership positions – and just 7% strive for C-level management (the rest said they aspire to middle-management or department head roles)
And clearly, the point of writing this article has been triggered by a sequence of events that baffled me this week as I and some other friends have been organising our School Leavers' Party.
The sense of inaction of a few was comprehensible, after all, in all strides of life, you'll bump against such souls. Still like always and like it has always been, most of the girls were more than ready to help. And it's always a pleasure to see the solidarity we emanate as a unit.
Still, what surprised me a bit, was when I private messaged the girls asking them if they could shoulder the responsibility of a particular task and be its captain who is going to lead the others who want to help. The responses I got, however, got me into deep thinking.
They want to help, accomplish the requirements but to set them up.
And then the other day, I asked someone whether she had called Mr X. during the day. No, she responded, she had not- because she did not have my direct contact's number. I was dumbfounded by her inaction. After all, she has access to all of my email accounts. All she had to do is open my email, find the contact’s number, and call him. Unfortunately, she did not take the initiative to do as I had hoped she would.
As students, there are times when we aren’t prepared for tests or exams. Instead of studying we would procrastinate.
It represents our irresponsibility towards our studies and life. It represents how we lack the leadership and discipline to get our immediate priorities straight.
In the end, it wasn’t the papers which we are trying to avoid.
It is ourselves. We are trying to avoid ourselves. We are trying to avoid tainting our own perceived self-image. Obviously, all of these responses are nothing more than excuses people make to rationalize their failure to act. Why? Because leadership is hard work. It requires grit, tenacity, and time. Passion, Meaning and Purpose.
One leader who greatly affected my personal search for purpose is Teddy Roosevelt. “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the enthusiasm, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause…”
Suppose, you have the responsibility of looking after your old parents or siblings or family with a wife and a kid. You cannot just run away. They will be dependent on you. They will maybe, die if you just run away. You will be known as a coward. Remember, your duty to them is more important than your right to freedom, here. Now if you are given a responsibility to keep watch in a shop, you cannot run away. If you run away from any of these, next time you meet them, they will screw you.
This is what I have discovered about why people fail to take initiative:
- People do not see past what they know, they have no quest or urge to explore what is more out there.
- They believe they lack the capabilities to accomplish the work.
- In their experience, if they do nothing, then someone else (usually a manager) will step in and do it for them. (“Search and Rescue”)
- They often feel that they are task overloaded. These overworked people will often shut down or refuse to take on anything else, keeping solely to the tasks they have been assigned.
- "Ignorance is bliss," some would say. In other words, they can’t be held accountable for what they don't know how to do or what they simply don’t do.
- Plain and sheer escapism.
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