Susan DrummCEO Advisor & Executive Coach | Leadership Change Agent

Are You Owning Responsibility or Just Taking Blame #shorts

16 Oct 2025 · 1 min

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1:10

Susan Drumm presents a brief monologue proposing a new definition of "responsibility" that excludes blame and fault. She explains that responsibility means viewing oneself as an "integral factor" in situations — that circumstances result from one's actions, non-actions, and interpretations — and holding the belief that there is always something one can do to affect a situation. The speaker contrasts this with childhood notions of responsibility tied to blame and guilt.

Chapters

What happens when I say the term responsible is we each have different preconceptions of what we mean by responsibility. And I'm going to suggest a different definition of responsibility, one that is free of blame and fault. Because blame and fault are what get in our way. Because if you think about, you know, when you were a child and maybe you spilled milk over and what was the attitude, it's like, who's responsible for this? Right? And that comes with the blame and guilt. So the new definition that what I want to suggest that we're going to adopt here in practicing this is this one that I view myself as an integral factor in all situations, circumstances and events happen as a direct result of my actions, non actions and interpretations. I believe there is always something I can do to affect a situation. So notice there's nothing in here about blame or fault. It's just that circumstances are happening as a direct result of my actions, non actions and interpretations. And that I'm coming from a belief that there is always something I can do to affect a situation.