WOW! That Person Actually Took Accountability

It’s 8 o’clock in the morning, I have a spring in my step. I’ve just arrived at the office and got my coffee.

I sit down at the desk… it is all happening again, the tranquility I feel being shattered into a thousand pieces. My muscles start twitching, my head drops. Just like prey, I assume if I hide, I can’t be caught.

Sitting there frozen, surrounded by stillness, the chatter is extinguished. I silently wait.

So many times I have heard it, following the now ritual pattern, the alpha predator screams it’s hunting call. I know it will be one of us today, will it be me?

and then it roars…

“Which bloody idiot sent this out!”

Sounds familiar? Most probably.

All part of being at work. People having their off days.

Right? Absolutely NOT!

Even if the words aren’t said, we can still get these reactions.

So what is going on here? If we freeze-frame, we might identify all sorts of things… issues of types of behaviour, team and organisational culture, personal and corporate values, personal awareness, awareness of others, performance, communication, capability, aggression, bullying, harassment, low self-esteem, poor environment… and this list goes on and on. We know and recognise all of these things. If left unresolved, these damage people and damage performance.

But one thing can cut through all of these and guarantee that your people and their individual performance are both healthy now, and more importantly, fit for the future.

Accountability

Taking personal accountability for:

• what we think
• what we feel, and
• what we do

Definition

“The fact of being responsible for your decisions or actions and expected to explain them when you are asked” Definition from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

Accountability and Responsibility are very different. Accountability cannot be shared with others, whereas Responsibility can.

Being Accountable means being Responsible as well as being answerable for your actions.

With accountability, the buck stops here, i.e. solely with you.

How do I take Personal Accountability?

1.    Being aware

• Being self-aware: be in the moment, recognise what you are thinking, how you are feeling and how you are behaving. Are you aware of your impact on others? Read my article From Déjà Vu and Disappointment to Productivity and Performance: The Lost Art of Reflection
• Being aware of others: what they are thinking, how they are feeling, how they are behaving? What is their impact on you and on others? If you don’t know, why not? How well do you really know your colleagues? How strong is your connection to them?

2.     Have you the intent to take full accountability for your actions?

• Are you clear on your purpose and what your key focus is? A useful article of mine to read is: Maintaining Clear Communication using Gallup’s Q12
• Are you committed to being Accountable? Do you know the benefits and consequences of being Accountable?

3.   Do you have the necessary skills to be Accountable? In Forbes online, Joseph Folkman, highlights eight key accountability skills, you can read it here: The ‘8 Great’ Accountability Skills For Business Success. Ask yourself the question, do you have these following skills?

• Drive for Results
• Honesty and Integrity
• Trust
• Clear Vision and Direction
• Problem Solving and Technical Expertise
• Communication
• Ability to Change
• Collaboration and Resolving Conflict.

4.   Taking action and being Accountable

• Do you have the drive to make it happen and be Accountable?
• Will you take accountability when others shrink away? Remember, accountability can be a lonely place!

The challenge is how can you raise your awareness of whether you act each day in an accountable way?

To aid you in this quest, why not use the Accountability Ladder?

The Accountability Ladder

When we take full accountability, we are taking full ownership and are committed to being answerable for what we think, feel, and do.

We acknowledge the reality of any problem situation we find ourselves in, we embrace it, we own it, and we remain resourceful and creative. We find solutions to it and take the necessary decisive action.

Using the image of a ladder, you will see the lower half is a place of powerlessness, whereas the upper half is a place of being powerful. Quite literally, we know we have the power to do something about it and we do ‘make it happen.’

The aim is to stay always in the upper half and keep pushing towards #8, “Make it Happen.”

1. Unaware, Unconscious

Here, we are simply unaware of the issue or problem, we just don’t know it exists. However, have you ever found yourself, choosing to ignore an issue, you know “if I ignore it, it will go away”. How many times does it go away? Not many if at all, in my experience. You may even choose to say “I’m aware there is a problem, but it’s not my problem, so who cares!”

TIP: If this is you, spend more time in conscious reflection, paying attention to what you are thinking, feeling, and how you in turn are behaving. I choose to spend 15 minutes at the beginning of each day and again at the end of each day in reflection. I see this as the most important part of my day in maintaining my accountability.

TIP: To help other people move through this, encourage them to notice what is happening to them in a non-emotive factual way. By doing this they are likely to accept the facts and start to become more self-aware. Please see my previous article on Reflection for more guidance From Déjà Vu and Disappointment to Productivity and Performance: The Lost Art of Reflection

2. Blame others

Here we become aware of, and acknowledge to ourselves that an issue or a problem exists, but it remains “out there”, outside of my concern. I might say such things as “This isn’t my issue, it isn’t my fault, I am not to blame, how could I have known? If someone had told me earlier I might have been able to avoid this! It’s your fault, not mine, you’re to blame”. Do these ring any bells?

TIP: If this is you, stay focused on what the desired outcome should be. Focus on the future positive resolution rather than ‘who did what, when and why’. This will help your communication with others to stay positive and engaging.

TIP: To help other people move through this, encourage them to consider the output or outcome, required rather than what “he said / she said”. By staying focused on this, we move from “I am not responsible, and you are to blame” to “we are all responsible and no one is to blame”.

3. ‘I Can’t’ excuses…

Now, having become aware of the issue or problem, and you have acknowledged it to yourself, you will see that something needs to be done about it.

But… have you thought it through enough yet? This may make you feel overwhelmed. Being uncertain of the exact issues or causes you may feel unsure of what you can do about it. This is an uncomfortable process, and many people try to suppress the negative feelings of their own inability to deal with this. Instead, they are likely to push it away and tell themselves “I can’t do anything about it”. By coming up with excuses you are saying that you would rather not take full accountability, because in doing so it means acknowledging that you don’t know how to deal with it… and you can’t possibly do that!

TIP: If this is you, change the language from the definitive “I can’t do…” to “I don’t know how to…” This simple shift unlocks infinite possibilities when we follow it up with … “Who would know? How can I find out? What would others do?” etc…

TIP: To help other people move through this, encourage them supportive to change their words from “I can’t do” to “I don’t know how to.” With this change of thought, they are now taking their first steps up the ladder to taking accountability for their actions.

4. Wait and hope

Now, having moved from blaming others and pushing the issue or problem away with 101 different reasons why “I can’t do…”, you are no longer pushing it away.

On this rung, you haven’t taken accountability yet. Instead, you are sitting in limbo waiting and hoping that someone or something “out there” will step in and deal with it for you. After all, if you wait long enough someone else is bound to step in and fix it. Won’t they!

TIP: If this is you, consider these power questions… “If not me, who? If not now, when? Why not me? Why not now?”

TIP: To help other people move through this stage encourage them to consider “Will anything happen if you wait & hope?” If the answer is “No”, ask them to consider “What needs to happen for them to move on from this?”

5. Acknowledge reality

So far you have chosen not to take the lead or be accountable. The issue or problem has remained “out there”, away from you. You have been largely reactive, powerless, and have abdicated your accountability.

People who lead and take accountability respond differently. They actually begin in the top half of the Accountability Ladder at step 5 or higher.

It is at this level and above you acknowledge and accept the reality of the issue or problem. You are motivated to fully understand the nature and causes of the issue and then move quickly on, taking accountability for actually doing something about it. The issue now becomes one of being “in here”, and one that you can do something about. This doesn’t mean you have all the answers yet, and you know to engage with others for additional help. Note, you are now moving the issue or problem positively forward.

You may hear yourself asking these questions, “What is it that I/we can do right now to move this situation forward towards a resolution? This is my/our problem. I/we need to do something about it, now. Who can I/we invite to be part of the solution process that will help create a way forward?”

Tip: No tips now because you are now at the level of taking accountability for your actionss

6. Own it

When you really ‘Own it’ you are saying that you are committed to resolving it. It is yours and you will move it forward. It is no longer “out there” it is very much “in here.” You may hear yourself say such things now as “What I need to do is to talk it over. Can we take some time to really understand what it is and how to move it forward.”

7. Find solutions

Finding solutions doesn’t mean that “You” have to find the solution, but you may need to be able to put the wheels in motion to ensure a solution is found. Here, you are focusing on finding the solution or identifying the people that can. You may need to be more resourceful and utilise your network and influence others to help you find the right solution. You may hear yourself say, “Thank you for all coming together at short notice. I should like your support and energy to shape a solution that will…”

8. Make it happen

Having found the solution, you are most likely to get a great sense of achievement, you are now able to see the way forward. You are going to be motivated to press on and actually something about it – to really “make it happen.” What you may hear yourself saying now is, “Let’s do this, let’s crack on.”

So which Accountability Ladder step are you currently on?

And Finally

Throughout this process, you will feel a growing sense of personal power as you take and own your personal accountability.

Remember…

Awareness + Intent to be Accountable + Accountability Skills + Action = Accountability

It is all about recognising the choices we make at each step and deciding if they still serve me. If not, what do are you going to do about it? I know what I am going to do!

I hope you have found my thoughts of interest and assistance.

If you wish to learn more about this and any other leadership topics, I look forward to hearing from you.

John

Growing Vision help HR Directors to deliver exceptional organisational performance by delivering practical, impactful, and accredited leadership and management development through training, facilitation, and coaching.

Growing Vision has helped thousands of leaders and managers to be more confident and transform their own and others’ performance with significant ROI for them and their organisations. Contact us today to begin that journey.