by Denise Baer

Created on: August 14, 2009   Last Updated: August 17, 2009

As time goes on and I count the years in my present job, the realization of my age and those in the workforce begin to nag at me. I question where the time went, along with responsibility. My profession is in Information Technology, where I must reach out and assist those with software and hardware issues while maintaining a professional respect. Through the years, I found the struggle with professional respect increase due to the lack of personal responsibility.

In order for people to work together and things to flow properly, you need personal responsibility to better yourself and achieve the respect of others. When we all start to realize where we fail and attempt to fix it then we can work as a group to fulfill personal and corporate goals. What I find in my office is much of the "I" factor, "woe is me," and more finger-pointing. Everyone makes mistakes, but if you don't take ownership for those mistakes, then the respect you might have from others begins to fade. We are responsible for our own words and action, so we must recognize and work on personal growth in order for us to work together.

Working in Information Technology over a period of years, I see a lack of personal responsibility in younger generations that somehow rubbed off on the older generations. When something happens on their desktop or laptop, it is never their fault, even though it's the only logical explanation for the problem. I usually hear, "I didn't do anything. I would not even know how to do that." Instead of the person responding, "I could have accidentally done that," it is a full attack. They instantly go on the defense before even weighing the possibility that their actions may have caused the problem. Then it is followed with a, "You always blame us when something goes wrong with our computers." That response usually makes me laugh because who else would I blame, the person sitting across from them? People need to understand that personal responsibility has many levels, and it is not about who is right and who is wrong. It is about what your participation did to create the situation, and how you can change it.

Today's society is technology driven, which tends to neglect social skills and personal responsibility. We forget how to act around others since our own lives consume us. When we make a mistake, or harm someone emotionally or physically, people tend to point their finger in another direction. We even see it in our political arenas. Don't look at

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