“The boundaries of your responsibility”: Lessons for Living, by Dr Neil Thompson

There are some things that each one of us is responsible for – that is, they are individual responsibilities.

I have to do what I have to do and you have to do what you have to do. Some things are shared responsibilities – that is, we have to do them together.

Teamwork is a good example of this. Developing effective teamwork is the responsibility of every team member, not just the leader.

Then there are also responsibilities that belong to other people – they are not mine, they are not yours, they are not ours.

It is important to be aware of these boundaries as it can be quite problematic and potentially stressful if: (i) we do not fulfil our individual responsibilities; (ii) we do not contribute to our shared responsibilities; or (iii) we overload ourselves by taking on responsibilities that are not ours, that belong elsewhere.

The detrimental consequences of losing sight of these boundaries can be quite significant.