Ask Christopher Avery

Questions addressed on this segment:

Q: How do I recognize its my responsibility when it doesn't look that way and I want to blame someone else for the problem?

Q: Some people (me sometimes) feel the ownership of some domain (in business, technology, etc.) in an exclusive way, so they don't allow other people to take responsibility. What would be a correct thing to do?

Q: Procrastination is one of the biggest obstacles that we have to overcome to take 100% ownership. What is your advice on fighting against it?

Q: What about project managers or scrum masters who can't give up control? Micromanage? Criticize in public? Get hostile in tone when things don't go their way? How do you diffuse this type of person and allow one to be 100 % responsible for our work?

Q: How do you get past the rationalization (Justify) during an accountability session (i.e., what went wrong) and get to more of a Responsibility space? We are very good at rationalizing, that is understand why something went wrong, but we kind of get stuck there.

Q: Given the mental and emotional issues that affect weight loss, can the Responsibility Process be used to aid in successful achievement and maintenance of healthy weight loss?

Q: I am starting a new job in a few weeks at a large fortune 500 company. There is new upper management recently in place (board level). The "old" charismatic leader started some key programs. These programs are currently under assessment, but as the new regime lifts the rocks, they are seeing that it's ugly underneath. I will be on an existing program that has two diverse camps - one that wants to stop and reassess (one customer is a 60% stakeholder and claims he "doesn't want the program, it doesn't meet his needs) and then there is the other camp that is driving the project to try to be completed (in 2010/2011). As a new leader in this organization, what advise would you give me.