Responsibility
Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large
or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. Your good name depends on it. If for some
reason you cannot deliver, you automatically start to look for ways to make it up to the other person. Apologies are
not enough. Excuses and rationalizations are totally unacceptable. You will not quite be able to live with yourself until
you have made restitution. This conscientiousness, this near obsession for doing things right, and your impeccable
ethics, combine to create your reputation: utterly dependable. When assigning new responsibilities, people will look
to you first because they know it will get done. When people come to you for help--and they soon will--you must be
selective. Your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should.
Student Strategies:
General
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In every task, think of yourself as having the responsibility for doing it to the best of your abilities.
Every day, set realistic goals that you are responsible for completing.
Don't take on too many responsibilities (learn to say no). Use your leadership skills to delegate
responsibilities to others.
Take the time to form your own personal sense of mission (what is important to you, what you want the
impact of your life to be, the difference you want to make), then motivate yourself by thinking about how
learning and graduating from college will help you fulfill your mission and sense of destiny.
Keep a log, checklist, or list of things to do, then find satisfaction in meeting your commitments. This will
provide you with a sense of motivation.
Academic Life
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List the dates of all the tests, projects, papers, events, and activities for the term, so you can be prepared
ahead of time and will not feel overwhelmed.
You want to do things right, so ask professors and successful students to show you what an "A" paper and an
"A" essay look like.
Think about checking out references in the library because they help form images of excellence in your mind.
Think about what it would mean to be a truly responsible student. Work toward that standard in a
progressive manner, one step at a time.
Strive to always work ahead. Read ahead and work problems before the professor has presented them in
class. You will get more out of class and earn higher grades, in addition to proving to yourself that you are a
responsible person and student.
Study Techniques
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Schedule specific study time hours for each class and assume the responsibility to invest the time necessary.
Set up study groups so you are responsible not only for your own learning but for that of others as well.
Write a daily schedule of how many pages you need to read for a specific class.
Highlight items for which you are responsible in tests (i.e., vocabulary words, main ideas, characters, etc.)
Class Selection
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Choose classes that are a part of your major or GE requirements first.
Pick classes that are challenging and of interest to you.
When selecting classes, find out what types of assignments and tests are given. Make sure that they are
consistent with your strengths, skills, and development at this point in time.
Co-curricular Activities
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Beware of having too many activities for which you are responsible. This will allow you plenty of time for
academics. Remember, you are a student first and foremost.
Become involved in campus and extra-curricular organizations. Take on roles and leadership positions; learn
from them, and let yourself experience fulfillment derived from being responsible.
Career
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Employers will like you because they can count on you.
You will be successful in any career, as long as it fits your strengths and sense of mission and passion. The
reason for your success stems from the sense of ownership you bring to a job and the fact that you will do
"whatever it takes to succeed." So be confident!
You will win the confidence of supervisors and be a good supervisor because you are "values-driven." You
strive to do the right thing, and that builds trust and confidence.
You will want to work in a job in which you can be given more and more responsibility as you progressively
achieve.
Make sure that your career provides opportunities for you to develop.
You want "ownership" in your work, so look carefully at who your manager will be. You will want your
independence. You may eventually want to own your own business or be in charge.
Ensure that future employers know how responsible you are.