The Responsibility Process: Unlocking Your Natural Ability to Live and Lead with Power

208 Pages·2016·1.53 MB·English

by  Christopher Avery

Advance Praise for
The Responsibilty Process
Over the last ten years I’ve seen time and time again how Christopher’s work
has created remarkable transformations in individuals, leaders, and entire
companies. I’ve wanted a powerful next step to give people after I introduce how
that transformation is possible. I’m thrilled that I can now recommend this
outstanding book as a next step to unlock that potential.
—Zach Nies, investor, and VP of Education at Techstars
Traditional management was about accountability. Modern leadership is about
responsibility. In his new book, The Responsibility Process, Christopher shows
you how to take responsibility in all aspects of your life. His previous book
—Teamwork Is an Individual Skill—was one of my favorites to recommend. This
one will be my favorite book gift for years to come.
—Yves Hanoulle, Creative Collaboration Agent
I have long been a fan of The Responsibility Process. I am really happy to see
this book so we can study Christopher’s approach. I’m a believer in the power of
small steps—taking action to make change. This wonderful guidebook will
instruct that process—not just for your organization but also in your own life.
—Linda Rising, co-author of Fearless Change and More Fearless Change
Do you want the best possible life you can live? Read and integrate The
Responsibility Process into your life. You will receive benefits beyond your
imagining.
—Johanna Rothman, author of Agile and Lean Program Management
A game changer! This book is my go-to when I find myself feeling as though life
is controlling me instead of me controlling my life. Thank you Christopher for
helping so many of us find the way to live based on our personal freedom,
power, and choice.
—Tami M. Cole, CEO, docstrats
Wow! The Responsibility Process is a fabulous book. I’ve put so many insights
into practice already. From the first pages, it pulled me in and was immediately
applicable to my personal mastery and in my role as a leader of leaders.
The five-step culture-building bridge from responsibility to accountability
in chapter 9 is brilliant. It helped me diagnose organizational hotspots and see
where I missed my leadership responsibility for one or more steps on the bridge.
As a result, I’ve had more effective conversations with several of my staff. I
anticipate better results for them and the organization.
—Steven Ambrose, VP and CIO, DTE Energy
I met Christopher and was introduced to The Responsibility Process in 2006. We
hired Christopher to help build our manager training program, and it was a
great investment in our culture and true foundation for our rapid growth based
on shared leadership. The Responsibility Process is a journey to mastery, and
the mental models help me catch myself. I love the formal process of taking
100% responsibility for myself and in the formation of teams, including
leadership teams.
The Responsibility Process packages Christopher’s teachings in a very
effective way for adoption by you or through your organization. I would
recommend chapters 3–7 as a monthly book study for your team. I especially
appreciated his new Catch Sooner Game and focus work required for adding
clarity to intention. The language is powerful and key to wide-scale adoption
with teams. I have used the Three Keys to Responsibility (chapter 4) as a
structure for many talks I have given. This chapter is pure gold and anchors the
book, the value, and the potential for you and beyond.
This book represents a set of tools and structure that with a healthy
mindfulness practice creates insight, integration, and empathy for others. For
me this is part of lifelong practice in creating happiness, effectiveness, loving
relationships, and impact. I look forward to a hard copy that I can keep close
and that will replace my notes from his courses.
—Ryan Martens, serial entrepreneur; founder of Rally Software,
the first Certified B-Corp to go public
The Responsibility Process is central to Catalysts’ approach to leadership. It has
played a significant role in Catalysts being the most popular employer in Austria
2014–2016 and the number-one IT innovator in Upper Austria. I’m excited to
have this book to share with everyone interested in understanding our culture.
—Dr. Christoph Steindl, CEO and founder, Catalysts GmbH
Read this foundational, life-changing book! I leverage The Responsibility
Process daily to process my reaction to events and to create consistently
constructive action plans.
—Léonardo Murgel, IT executive
I highly recommend this book. I’ve been using The Responsibility Process for
over a decade with meaningful results. In business, it provides a shared
language for rapidly moving past finger-pointing and excuses toward problem
resolution.
—Jamin Patrick, president and COO, RotaDyne
The Responsibility Process is a must read for anyone who seeks to unlock their
ability to truly live and lead with power. Dr. Avery offers a simple and
instructive guide that can easily be applied across cultures, languages, and
environments. In leading a multicultural organization, I have worked to
encourage teamwork, collaboration, and personal accountability as behaviors
and values that support the development of our company and our service to
customers. The Responsibility Process perfectly sums up what we strive to do
and provides clarity and a purposeful path toward an outcome that will serve us
personally and as an organization. The Responsibility Process truly is a gift and
something important and worthwhile to share with others.
—Matthew M. Johnston, CEO/Directeur Général, HM.Clause
After experiencing just how transformative The Responsibility Process was to my
own leadership practice, I am delighted that this book is now available. Thank
you Christopher for bringing the message to an even broader audience. The
lessons and tools are practical and can be applied by business leaders at any
level from CEO to summer intern.
—Mary Lea McAnally, former Associate Dean for Graduate Programs,
Mays Business School, Texas A&M University

© 2016 Christopher Avery All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published by
Partnerwerks, Incorporated Pflugerville, TX
Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data Avery, Christopher.
The responsibility process : unlocking your natural ability to live and lead with power /
Christopher Avery. – Pflugerville, TX : Partnerwerks, Inc., 2016.
p. ; cm.
ISBN13: 978-0-9977472-0-1
1. Responsibility. 2. Responsibility—Philosophy. I. Title.
BJ1451.A87 2016
170.9049—dc23
2016911179
FIRST EDITION
Project coordination by Jenkins Group, Inc.
www.BookPublishing.com
Cover design by Chris Rhoads
Interior design by Brooke Camfield
Printed in the United States of America 20 19 18 17 16 • 5 4 3 2 1
Dedication
Without Bill McCarley the extraordinary information in this book about how
personal responsibility works in our minds would not exist. Therefore, I dedicate
this book to Bill, my teacher and friend.
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: A More Productive Way to Live and Lead
Part I Personal Responsibility in Everyday Life
1 What Is Personal Responsibility?
2 Responsibility ≠ Accountability
Part II Three Tools for Understanding and
Practicing Responsibility
3 The Responsibility Process
4 The Three Keys to Responsibility
5 The Catch Sooner Game
Part III Practicing and Mastering Responsibility
6 Lead Yourself First
7 Sharing Responsibility, Sharing Leadership
8 Developing Responsibility in Others