Accountability 101: Installment #3 - ACCOUNTABILITY: What’s It All About?

Changing organizational cultures from “renter” to “owner,” is going to take a lot more than a new slogan or the latest “program.” We need to be free to find the courage to approach our tasks and our relationships at work differently so that we can co-create a markedly different and intentionally brighter future together.

Personal accountability is all about the many choices and decisions you (and others) make and the actions and interactions you have throughout your work day. It happens moment by moment; one conversation at a time. It stands to reason that if we all are expected to make dozens, even hundreds, of choices and decisions each day about what to do and who to be using a framework of accountability as our guide, then we must make darn sure that there is a universal understanding of exactly what ‘accountability’ means.

To be candid, most dictionary definitions of accountability seem inadequate to me and leave me cold. So, based on my research, I crafted one that empowers and inspires everyday leadership and is straightforward enough so that everyone can understand it and use it “in the moment” to assess the quality of their decisions and choices. Here it is:

Personal Accountability is doing the right thing, consistently, day after day, in both tasks and relationships, to live the mission and values of the organization and advance its vision.

This definition of accountability is based on the simple yet profound belief that most people know what the right thing to do is most of the time. Yes, at times there are gray areas, but most of the time, most of us know. Whether we choose to act on that knowledge is at the heart of the matter. For example, almost all of us know that gossip is toxic in organizations. But do we accept personal responsibility for walking away when it starts, choosing not to engage in it with others and, even confronting the behavior and encouraging others to change the subject?

That’s why I’ve come to believe that personal accountability is an inside job! Doing the right thing comes from within; it’s intrinsic. When doing the right thing comes from the outside, when it becomes extrinsic instead, then it becomes nothing more than
compliance. I am convinced that relying primarily on compliance will prevent us from being great and having a bright future together.

Right about now, some of you might be thinking….”That’s great, BUT…if accountability is intrinsic, isn’t it a part of your hard-wiring? OR, isn’t accountability something that is embedded in your psyche from early experiences and reinforcement by adults important in our lives (parents, grandparents, teachers, religious leaders)? If you didn’t ‘get it’ then, maybe you’ve missed out permanently.

My answers are yes, yes and no. Yes, it may be that a predisposition to hold oneself accountable is hardwired; and yes, it might seem more natural to us if we were exposed to it regularly as kids when we discussed it as a family or when we witnessed our parents and others role modeling the behavior.

But no, if this isn’t the case for you, you haven’t missed out on the opportunity to be an accountable adult today! It’s my truth that each of us does have a unique genetic endowment and experiences in our formative years. And, while I can’t claim expertise in genetics, my review of the research tells me that education and personal effort can trump your starting point. Even our genes require regular input as we grow and develop to work properly. Don’t use your genes or your background as an excuse not to embrace personal accountability.

My bottom line is that, to a large extent, personal accountability can be learned and is a choice that adults can intentionally make. Because it is a choice, to be “fearlessly accountable” requires some work. It’s not always easy to simply “do the right thing.” But what if we had a guide to help us, especially when something happens that lies in that very “gray” area between right and wrong?

To that end, I have created an Accountability Credo. Learn more about it in my next installment of Accountability 101!!

To be continued… Look for our next post, Finding Your Way To Accountability

Can't wait and interested in developing a culture of owners within YOUR organization?  My latest book, Own It!, is a great place to start.   Own It!  and it's predecessor, Take The Lead are both available for purchase on the Vantage International website.   

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