owning it in good times and bad

being accountable to ourselves and to others requires that we own it when we earn gratitude just as much as when we don't deliver as promised. i had technical difficulties on a project recently that yielded results that were not what i had hoped. it has me quite upset actually. indeed, during the first 30 minutes of realizing the issue and feeling at a loss as to how to solve it, i had a fleeting thought of what it would mean to bag the whole thing. not an acceptable option of course. with much mental agitation going over and over what might make sense as a solution i hit upon a fix. not perhaps the best one but one that got me through the project without it being a total wash.

while this kind of experience is something we can probably all tell war stories about, being in it and then sorting it out with our client is not fun. and yet i feel there is more wrapped up in this episode than owning it. staying with it until i worked the problem out was critical. it is sometimes tempting to think we can fake our way through some challenge and pick up the pieces later. but that is the worst kind of failure--to the recipient of what we are entrusted to deliver and to ourselves. instead, figuring a workaround and salvaging what we can may produce less than optimal results but at least there are results.

being accountable and owning it means taking responsibility not just for the outcome but for being in it every step of the way. the best laid plans can go awry. the best we can do is stay with it and work to get it back on course. or to find a new course midstream that will get us where we need to be. so, in my case, while i'm not delighted with the results, i am keenly grateful i have results to share.

liz