Personal Accountability

What it is, why it matters and how to strengthen it!

In Part 4 of this Series, I discussed how to hold conversations about accountability (or the lack of it) with employees when necessary.  In this final installment, I’ll discuss personal accountability: what it is, why it matters and how to strengthen it. 
 

Perhaps my favorite description of personal accountability comes from Dr. John Izzo, author of Stepping Up: How Taking Responsibility Changes Everything. Izzo writes about the concept of “stepping up” and his definition is beautifully succinct: “Stepping up is seeing a need and deciding YOU are the right person to do something about it. It is about doing what you can in your sphere of influence to create change, not looking to anyone else.” Izzo’s words remind us that behaving accountably is a choice.  We can decide individually to make that choice or not; however, the fact is each of us has the ability to make that choice.  Why, then, do so many fail to do so? 
 
The answer, I believe, is simple: fear. Stepping up requires courage. When we step up, we put our neck on the line. We expose ourselves to risk and ridicule (or worse) if we fail. Remember the last time you took accountability for a bad decision or missed deadline and got chewed out?  Who needs that aggravation? Don't have enough to worry about? Isn’t it much easier to stay quiet and hope someone else fixes the problem? Or, better yet, blame another department or individual?
 
The short answer is “yes.” But here’s the problem with that attitude. What if everyone in an organization (or society) felt the same? That’s when you’d see the veneer of civility start to crack. When nobody steps up, resentment builds, trust erodes, and self-preservation becomes the most important goal. Think of the last time you worked in an environment rife with finger-pointing, fault-finding, and buck-passing. I’ll bet you couldn’t wait to go home each day. 
 
“I get that accountability is good for my company,” you may be thinking.  “But what’s in it for me?”  That’s a fair question.  After all, as we’ve discussed, acting accountably instantly makes you vulnerable—and vulnerability makes us uncomfortable.  When someone asks me why they should be accountable, here’s how I typically respond:
 
“The world is full of people who blame others for their misfortune, look the other way when things need to get done or wait for others to act when the going gets tough. And it’s true—sometimes those same people are very successful. But aren’t you better than that? When you choose to act accountably, you gain tremendous personal power. You’re no longer a bystander, a victim, an excuse-maker, a ‘blame-thrower.’ You become a driving force for change, a go-getter, an agent of action, a man or woman of character and integrity, an architect of your own destiny.”
 
Well, maybe those aren’t the exact words I use but you get the idea.
 
If you agree that being accountable strengthens rather than weakens you and wish to start taking more accountability in your life, here are some ideas to help you “step up”:
 
Watch your mouth. Have you ever said to yourself something like “This party is going to be boring?” and—lo and behold—the party ends up being boring?  That’s because the language we use helps create our reality.  Try to catch yourself using such expressions as “Why can’t they get their act together?” or “I’ll do it when they do it” or “Don’t look at me—it wasn’t my fault!”  These are the sentiments of victims.  When we marinate in victimhood, our personal power diminishes. Besides, it’s too easy to blame others when things go awry and absolve ourselves of any contribution.  If someone truly is at fault, however, coach them to do better rather than belittle or humiliate them.  While some people are motivated by insults and shaming, the vast majority are not.
 
Don’t try to do it all, but do something. One of my favorite sayings comes from an ancient Jewish text called Pirkei Avot (“Ethics of Our Fathers”): “You are not obligated to complete the work of perfecting the world, but neither are you free to desist from it.”  In other words, you aren’t expected to finish the job of making the world a better place, but you are obligated to keep trying.  Dr. Izzo’s “5-Row Principle” speaks to this idea.  He tells the story of a child on a recent flight who—simply through his youthful exuberance—cheered up several dozen grumpy passengers around him.  Not the entire plane, perhaps, but 5 rows up and 5 rows back.  “Most of us only influence about 5 rows around us,” says Izzo.  “But in those 5 rows, we have tremendous influence.”  It’s a wonderfully empowering message for those times when we feel helpless.
 
Encourage others to hold you accountable.  If one of my bosses had ever granted me permission to hold them accountable, I would have thought she was joking.  But imagine the level of respect and loyalty she would have earned.  You see, good leaders hold themselves accountable. Great leaders not only act accountably but expect their team to hold them accountable. Legendary Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz said it best: “I won’t accept anything less than the best a player’s capable of doing. And he has the right to expect the best that I can do for him and the team.”  That kind of attitude is what fuels winning organizations.

Make accountability a core value on your team.  Just talking about accountability isn’t enough.  The importance of accountability needs to be part of the operations manual (literal or figurative) of your team. Be sure to role model accountable behavior at all times, and if you’re in a leadership role, let your people know that accountable behavior is required.  Make the demonstration of accountability part of your team’s performance reviews, and recognize team members when they exhibit it.  Discourage finger-pointing and “not my fault” attitudes.  But remember—all of your accountability talks will be for naught the first time someone is punished or humiliated for stepping up.  Your team will quickly come to learn that accountability comes at a heavy price and is best avoided.
 
Unfortunately, being accountable isn’t for everyone. Indeed, some people will never behave accountably either for fear of reprisal or because blaming others or doing nothing is simply easier. My challenge to you is dare to be different. Hold yourself to higher standards. Forge your own path. As a wise person once said, “Accountability separates the wishers in life from the action-takers that care enough about their future to account for their daily actions.”
 

As founder and president of Right Chord Leadership, Dr. Michael Brenner works with leaders and teams at all levels to strengthen the essential skills needed for peak performance. He achieves this by drawing on almost two decades of experience as an international leadership consultant, executive coach, keynote speaker, and educator, and more than 30 years as a professional musician. Michael’s unconventional workshops, executive coaching sessions, and consulting services – grounded in the belief that “When people work in harmony, great things happen!”™ – have helped his clients increase employee engagement, reduce turnover, improve customer service, and create more collaborative work environments. Michael has partnered with leading companies in a variety of industries and has worked for several not-for-profit organizations. Connect Michael Brenner Follow @m_brenner4