To clarify, this discussion format, known as a blog, is a first-time attempt to put the workshop on “Using the Concepts in Our Personal Lives” into a written format–via an electronic, interactive discussion.  It is not an on-line meeting.  It is an attempt to simulate electronically the interaction of members sharing their insights on the Concepts as they would do in a face-to-face workshop.

I first started speaking about the Concepts at a Convention workshop that was basically centered on explaining the meaning of the words within the Legacy.  Over the years, as I became more aware of the Concepts on a deeper spiritual level, I began to discuss how we could use them in our own daily living.  Our three Legacies, the Steps, the Traditions, and the Concepts of Service are the foundation of our recovery.  Most of us are aware of the necessity of working the Steps to heal and restore ourselves, but we generally have viewed the Traditions as something for the groups, and the Concepts were for “those other people” whoever they were.

Under the Introduction tab (in the upper right-hand corner of this page) is an in-depth discussion of the Steps and Traditions.  If this is your first visit here, I suggest that you read it at your leisure.  It may help as you explore the idea that the Legacies are spiritual principles that build one upon the other.  If we don’t begin our recovery in the Steps, and enhance it with the Traditions, we may not be fully ready to expand our spiritual growth as we work the Concepts.  Of course, that doesn’t mean that newcomers can’t participate and learn in the blog, as we all gain insights in a variety of ways and at our own pace.

Let me remind everyone that these are my insights and experiences.  As always, take what you like and leave the rest.  The purpose of this blog, as in the workshop, is to share what I have discovered in hopes that it will lead you to a new and broader understanding for your own recovery.  We all know there is no one way to do it, but as my Sponsor said frequently, “But, do it!!!!”

As I stated earlier, this is not an on-line meeting so we don’t have permission to quote Al-Anon or any other literature.  As it is not Conference Approved Literature in fact or concept, it is not appropriate to print it and distribute in a face-to-face group or electronic meeting.  If you wish to print it for your personal use, that’s fine, but you need written permission from the World Service Office in order to copy and distribute regardless of your purpose.

Each of us has the ability to share what a Concept now means to him or her and how as individuals we have used it or could in the future.  Don’t worry about grammar or spelling.  The readers here are interested in your thoughts not your literary style.  It really isn’t Conference Approved Literature!

Let’s have fun and learn together.

Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority and double-headed management is avoided.

Concept Ten reminds us to make sure that people know what their job is before they begin to work on it.  When we don’t clearly define what is expected, we leave the other person to fill in the blanks.  Then, if authority is exceeded, both parties are confused and disappointed.

All service jobs should create success for both the person doing the job and the person who has the responsibility to oversee the job.  Conflict is guaranteed, when enough time is not spent in clarifying the limits of authority.  Everyone wants to do a good job but many of us do nothing because we don’t want to make mistakes and be corrected.

As a child, I took on responsibilities that I thought were mine even though no one asked me.  I became the parental figure in our home when my mother was at work.  My brother and sister did not appreciate my assumption of authority and frequently conspired to undermine my “well-meaning” efforts.  The reality was that once my father had left the home; there was no clear authority when my mother was gone.  I decided that as the oldest, authority would fall naturally to me.

Throughout my life, I kept stepping in to situations where I perceived a vacuum; and each time I experienced resistance when others thought that I was trying to control their lives.  I was–but didn’t someone have to fix their problems since they weren’t doing it themselves?

Even after I joined Al-Anon, my early service jobs created conflict when others stepped in to help and no one had asked them for their assistance.  I came to understand the need to clarify roles and ask questions before I began to act.  Later as an employer, I understood the need for clear job descriptions. 

But handing someone a piece of paper was not enough.  We had to have a discussion about what the words actually meant.  Some people assumed that a certain title meant a certain level of responsibility even when the job description said otherwise.  Others took general descriptions of a task to imply broader responsibilities that those requested.  Again, we had to talk to each other and reason things out.  If you know what I expect and what I intend to hold you accountable for, then my supervision of your performance and achievement of those goals is not double-headed management.

However, if we are clear as the limits of your responsibility, I must step back and let you do your job.  Again, accountability and checking in will ensure that you are moving in the right direction and reassure me that the task is being completed.  Silence and secrecy on either person’s part will only undermine trust – and a collision is guaranteed.

Also, Concept Ten reminds us that if you give someone responsibility, you have to give them sufficient authority to do the job.  So if you are in charge of decorations, I need to give you a budget, a limit to your authority.  Then–as long as you stay within that limit– it is not important to me whether you buy crepe paper, make hand-made decorations, or hire a decorator to do the job.  If it’s important that the decorator only include certain items, then an outline of what is proposed could be requested before the go ahead is given.  All of this must be discussed in advance, not after the contracts have signed and the balloons are inflated.

Statements like:  “I wouldn’t have done it that way.”  or “I thought you knew…” are often signals that the communication didn’t take place.  Responses similar to:  “It’s my job, leave me alone.”  or “I don’t have to ask you….” are additional signs that clear understanding was not achieved.

If I want others to help me and be responsible for the tasks I delegate to them, then I must give a clear job description in writing and take the time to discuss each task to achieve a clear understanding for both the worker and the manager.  Only then can each of us be successful and double-headed management be avoided.

Now is your time to share how you have applied or could have better applied this principle of achieving clarity and accountability in the job responsibilities you have delegated in your personal, work or service experiences.

Read the chapter on Concept 10 from Paths to Recovery (B-24)
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