Responsibility. There's a word that has changed connotation a whole lot since I was a kid. Used to be a great
thing, 'she's responsible' was a pat on the back. A good thing. Made you want to be responsible. That's something I
still strive for, staying on top of things, being responsible, and not 'letting it slide' just to see if I can avoid
something.
Of course, sometimes that means working long past the hours you mean to, often without charging more, to make sure that
the work is properly done and fairly priced. Avoiding nasty surprises for the client on the back end. To me, that's
just responsibility. If I know something is going to be a pain and can let them know the most cost efficient means of
repair on the front end, I do. Sometimes I'm wrong, and then it's my job to make it right by that client, at times the
midnight oil is burned, and at others used up.
Because of that, there is a stack on my desk and file cabinet, things I am responsible for, that either have been taken
care of and not put away, or just pushed to side because I can't deal with it right now, and when I do find a minute, it
feels sooooo good to be irresponsible and ignore it! I work in a lot of different environments, and I seriously envy the
clean desks, though sometimes I run across desks that make me fear for my safety. And there are all levels in between.
The cleaners have it all filed, the floor sorters are on their way to getting it filed, the stackers have it all filed on
top, and the tossers have no discernible order at all.
Ever seen the sign claiming that the clean desk is a sign of a deranged mind? Don't know that I would agree, but I think
the author of that statement must have been a quite responsible person.
