Own the Problem and Own Your Career: Why Taking Responsibility Wins Every Time

Ko Min Khant works at a phone repair shop near Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon. A customer brought in a phone that was repaired last week but stopped working again. Ko Min Khant knew the repair was done by his coworker on the previous shift. His first instinct was to say 'That was not my work. The other technician did it. Come back when he is here.' The customer's face hardened. She said 'This is your shop, is it not?' and walked out. She posted on the shop's Facebook page that evening. Twelve people reacted with angry faces. The shop owner saw the post before Ko Min Khant did. The next morning, Ko Min Khant was told he would not be given the senior technician promotion he had been waiting for. The owner said: 'A senior technician owns every problem that walks through the door, not just the ones with his name on them.' Ko Min Khant lost a forty percent salary increase because of five words: 'That was not my work.'