As I read the latest news regarding BP oil spill, I was reminded once again about this important subject of accepting responsibility. 读最近关于BP原油泄漏事件的新闻是我再次意识到一个很重要的话题：承担责任。

BP confirmed that Tony Hayward will step down on Oct. 1  BP证实托尼海沃德将在10月1日卸任，

as the company seeks to reassure both the public and investors that it is taking responsibility for the spill and is learning lessons from this major disaster. 用以安慰大众和投资者,并承担起石油泄漏的责任和从此次重大事故中得到的教训。

BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said“BP will change as a result of this accident.” “此次事故将使BP发生改变”BP主席 Carl-Henric Svanberg如是告诉投资者。

We are taking a hard look at ourselves, what we do and how we do it.  我们正在努力的寻找自己，我们能做什么和如何去做。

What we learn will have implications for our ways of working, our strategy, and our governance. 我们此次学到的东西会对我们的工作、战略以及统治的方式产生影响。

Whatever your personal views are about the oil spill, please know that I’m not writing to defend or attack BP. 关于此次石油泄漏无论你的个人观点是什么，请清楚一点我都不准备保护或攻击BP，

I’m simply offering this current event as a way to illustrate what accepting responsibility looks like and why it’s in your best interest to do so. 我只是拿此事来说明承担责任的样子以及为什么你最好要这样做。

It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about a national disaster like the Gulf oil spill or a personal blunder like losing your temper;  问题的关键不是我们讨论的是像石油泄漏这样的国家大事还是你因失控而犯了大错这种小事，

the process of accepting responsibility for your action is the same. 这种敢于承担责任的过程都是一样的。

Accepting responsibility for your actions and decisions will help you earn the trust, respect, and confidence of others as well as improve your self-image. 为你的言行与决定承担起责任将会助你获得信任、尊重和他人的信心以及自我形象的提升。

Sadly, accepting full responsibility for one’s decisions and actions is becoming a rarity. The good news is that those who do will stand out from the crowd. 可悲的是，勇于为自己的决定和言行承担责任的行为越来越罕见了。可喜的是这种人在人群中会特别突出的。

How we handle responsibility for our decisions as well as our mistakes is a direct reflection on our character.  我们如何为所下的决定和犯的错承担责任将会直接反映出我们的性格。

It’s wrong to think that we’re fooling anyone when we project blame onto someone or something else instead of a being accountable for our actions or decisions.  当事实发生我们责怪他人或其他事而不敢承担起责任的这种愚弄他人的想法是不对的。

People are smarter than that. They can tell when we’re shirking our responsibilities, and they find it extremely distasteful. 人都不是傻子，当我们逃避责任时他们能分辨出来的，而且会极度反感这种行为的。

It’s easy to see early on in life who has it right and who hasn’t.  在人生中很容易看到谁常常责怪他人，谁不这么做。

Consider the Little League player who always blames the team’s loss on the coaches, the umpires, and the other players.  想一下那些总是把球队损失归结到教练、裁判、其他球员的小联盟球队的成员，

Or how the young professional with a poor performance record insists every time that it’s because of something beyond her control. 或者那些表现欠佳的专业人员是如何每次坚持都是因为超出他们控制而导致的。

At the other end of the spectrum, you’ve probably also witnessed or heard about the positive side.  另一方面你很可能目睹或听到承担责任的积极地一面。

Like a group of boys confessing to the neighbor that they broke his window rather than running away.  像一群孩子对邻居坦白他们打碎了窗户玻璃而不是逃跑。

Or the husband who humbles himself before his wife and children and apologizes after having been unnecessarily short with them. 又或者丈夫在妻儿面前很谦卑并且他们无礼后对妻儿道歉。

Universally, people who accept responsibility for their actions command greater respect and influence.  通常对自己的行为敢于承担责任的人会赢得更多的尊重和影响。

By contrast, those who pass the buck or make excuses eventually lose the trust and confidence of others. 对比之下，那些总是推卸责任或找借口的人会失去他人的信任和信心。

In addition to reflecting character, accepting responsibility is one of the most critical factors in leadership.  除了能反映出性格，在领导力方面敢于承担责任是最为关键的一个因素。

No one wants to follow leaders who attempt to pass the buck or who don’t accept responsibility for their mistakes or errors in judgment. 没有人愿意追随那些不愿意为他们的错误判断承担责任的领导。

In my own life, I make every effort to always accept full responsibility for my decisions—both good and bad.  我的人生中，我总是尽力的为我的决定承担责任---无论好与坏。

Doing so has played a critical role in helping me make better decisions.  这样做对帮我做出更好的决定起到了很大的决定。

I believe this is because when you hold yourself accountable for your mistakes,  我觉得敢于为自己的错误负责、从这些痛苦的经历中得到教训

you learn important lessons from those painful experiences that help you avoid making the same mistake or bad decision again. 能帮助你避免以后再犯同样的错误或做出相同的错误决定。