I’m not sure how we came to the point where demanding accountability is equated to finding a scapegoat, placing blame, and demanding retribution. The cry for “someone to be held accountable” is code for finding someone to fire or dismiss so that business can go on as usual. It has very little to do with what I would define as true accountability.
True accountability seeks to understand what happened and fix it. It focuses on achieving the right results. It makes things right, even if that involves some short term costs and swallowing of ego. True accountability embodies responsibility, righting wrongs, and accepting your contribution.
Personal accountability is taking ownership for your part in the current situation – good or bad. It is owning the current state, rather than deflecting. It is an honest appraisal of what went right, what went wrong, and what you did or did not do to get that outcome.
It’s very easy to spot someone with a high degree of personal accountability by what they do and don’t do:
| DO | DON’T |
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Highly accountable people know the meaning of “short term pain, long term gain.” Admitting mistakes may be embarrassing in the moment, but covering things up creates an incongruity that creates a shadow for a very long time. Blaming someone else may feed your ego today but owning your situation is an on-going source of integrity. Fixing a problem you created takes time, effort, and resources. Not fixing it means living with the pain of it over time. Glossing over the situation may feel good in the short term, but understanding and learning from it pays long term dividends.
Here is the bottom line. Low accountability people relinquish their own personal power. They wallow in self-pity and self-defeat. They look outside of themselves for reasons for their situation and wait for someone to come along and make it better. They point fingers rather than getting their hands dirty by getting to work.
Highly accountable people get good results through focused effort, continual evaluation, and on-going adjustment. They get on with it. They abhor victim thinking. They own their personal power. They learn. They grow. They make things happen.
What path will you choose today?
