There is an important limit to the lighthouse metaphor.

A lighthouse can provide direction.

It cannot steer the ship.

That distinction matters because professional capability cannot be handed to someone.

It has to be developed by the person doing the work.

Support is not substitution

IDEA Lighthouse can provide processes, guidance, feedback and real opportunities to work.

  • But YOU still have to engage.
  • YOU have to investigate problems.
  • YOU have to attempt solutions.
  • YOU have to make decisions.
  • YOU have to accept feedback.
  • YOU have to learn from mistakes.

If someone else constantly makes those decisions for you, you may complete the work without developing the capability to repeat it independently.

That is not the outcome we want.

Accountability creates learning

Accountability can feel uncomfortable.

When a real deliverable has a real owner, there is nowhere to hide behind a classroom exercise.

  • If something doesn't work, you have to investigate it.
  • If a requirement was misunderstood, you have to address it.
  • If your approach created a problem, you have to learn from it.

That responsibility is part of the experience.

It is also part of what makes the experience valuable.

Asking for help is still ownership

Ownership does not mean working alone.

A professional asks for help.

The difference is in how they ask.

"Can you fix this?" places the responsibility elsewhere.

"I've investigated the issue, I think the problem is here, I've tried these two approaches, and I'm stuck on this part" demonstrates ownership.

The second person is still asking for help.

But they are also showing professional thinking.

That's the habit we want you to develop.

You have to steer

At some point, the questions should become more independent. you should be able to say:

  • "I understand the problem."
  • "These are the options."
  • "This is the approach I recommend."
  • "These are the risks."
  • "Here is what I need to verify."

That is a very different place from simply waiting for instructions.

The lighthouse can illuminate the route, you have to steer.

And eventually, they should be able to navigate even when the lighthouse is no longer visible.

Tags: #accountability#ownership#responsibility#professional-development#lighthouse