Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get
you where you want to go, no one else.—Les Brown
Do you consider accountability as one of your stronger traits?
Let’s start by defining it:
The quality or state of being accountable; an obligation, willingness and commitment to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions
It’s strictly up to us – no one can make us be accountable. They may influence us, they may provide us with feedback, they may even put us on an improvement plan, but ultimately the choice is ours.
The first step is to clearly understand expectations
- What are the desired end results?
- How do we personally contribute to their achievement?
- Do we have any role in adding clarity or helping others understand their involvement?
The next step is to be honest with ourselves
- What are we committing to?
- Are the tasks and associated time-frames realistic?
- Do we have the required skill-set?
- Do we need others to guide or assist us?
- Are we able to admit mistakes when they occur?
- Do we openly communicate and engage others when we get off track?
- Are there other projects/priorities that may impact our commitments? Make them known!
- Don’t be afraid to say “no”. Give thought to what you’re agreeing to; if you feel your commitment could be at risk, be open about it. Saying “yes” may not always serve you well.On a scale of 1-10, where would you rank yourself on accountability? Is there anything you could change?
I learned in an extremely hard way that the accountability falls with me.—Stephen Baldwin