Today I want to take it a firm step forward and ask you to assess how much accountability you are taking for the aspects of success your role holds within the company you work for.
For many companies we are in pivotal times, we are all aware of the economy etc. Every single one of you has a role to play in the delivery of your company's or team's purpose, and the output from each of us adds to the difference we can make. Taking accountability is the most important element in ‘making things happen’.
It doesn’t matter how good the vision is, or the strategy to deliver that vision – if you don’t have a culture of accountability, you’re ‘wheel spinning’ – putting in tons of effort, making lots of noise but not actually going anywhere! We cannot let that happen here.
So, let’s talk about accountability.
Accountability is defined as “the obligation of an individual or organisation to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner".
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you waited in hope that something might happen, then blamed someone else when it didn’t because it “wasn’t your responsibility”?
Hey, I’m not judging. I’ve done it. We’ve all done it. Sometimes every day.
But that doesn’t make it right. Not just because it’s a pretty lame thing to do, but because it stops you from getting the results you want. That’s a serious handicap in business, and it doesn’t play out so well in your personal life either.
Take a look at the Accountability Ladder below:
Now be honest. How much of your time do you spend ‘below the line’ … and how much on top?
We all know that the bottom four rungs of the ladder lead you nowhere but into a huge headache, continual stress and no results. We all know how good it feels to climb up instead, by really taking hold of a situation and making things happen.
So why is it so hard to keep ourselves at the top?
Sometimes, it’s down to fear of ‘being a doormat’ – that by always taking responsibility, we’ll be taken advantage of. Sometimes it’s down to really believing someone else should be doing it. Sometimes, it’s down to fear of failure – that if we march upwards and seek a solution, we risk getting it wrong and tumbling right off. Sometimes, it’s simply down to tiredness, or overwork, or lethargy.
But accountability comes with its own magic and its own energy. As soon as you look a monster in the face and get your hands round its neck, it suddenly shrinks to the size of a mouse. That doesn’t mean that there are easy solutions to every problem – but an honest appraisal and empowered and accountable attitude strips away much of its power.
Accountability is also brilliant team glue.
Having a team coming together, being accountable and taking each step on the accountability ladder together until they reach the ‘made it happen’ rung of victory is one of the most inspiring and impactful experiences in a business. You’ll always remember the team you did that with. I know I do…
So where are you on the ladder right now?
The first thing you need in order to take accountability is to feel you are in control, and empowered, or that you have an internal locus of control.
Here’s a really quick exercise to assess your locus of control, that will help give you insight if you don’t feel you are able to be accountable.
For each of the 10 statement below score your agreement on a scale of 1-4. 1 if you strongly agree or box 4 if you strongly disagree. Boxes 2 and 3 indicate a mild preference either way.
Add up your total scores and work out the average.
An average below 2.5 indicates you don’t feel that you have control – so how are you meant to be accountable if you don’t feel like you have some control?
How to climb the ladder
So, it’s the practical section. The best way to get a real feel for this, is to take a situation you’re currently frustrated with.
This could be professional or personal – the ladder applies equally to both. Ask yourself these six questions in turn:
What is the situation?
What and who does it impact?
Is it important (and possibly urgent)?
Are you currently above or below the accountability line?
What can you expect if you don’t take accountability?
What if you do?
Even just asking question one helps break you out of the mental deadlock and move you upwards. As you work through all six, your perspective should start to shift as you take an honest look at what’s happening and ask what you, yes you, can make a change.
We can help each other
If you notice yourself or your team members using victim behaviours, then challenge them. You can often tell where someone is on the ladder by their choice of language…
So, in meetings, when you hear colleagues say that they’re waiting for something to happen. Ask them for a due date. If they don’t know, get them to find out. Repeat until the behaviour changes.
Accountability isn’t easy.
But it does make your life so much better, both at home and at work. It improves your relationships, fuels your energy, and makes sure you get the results you’re after, rather than having the debatable glory of claiming that it wasn’t your fault things didn’t work out.
I am not trying to be flippant – taking accountability and helping others do the same takes time and energy. But that’s what we need to do if they want to meet our commitments and be successful. I don’t come to work to do the bare minimum, I am not satisfied with average. That doesn’t mean I’m a perfectionist, it means I like delivering, I like solutions, I love the sense of fulfilment when I cross something off my list, when I can help someone else by crossing something off our list. And as a team it is always “our” list. By taking accountability, I earn my voice, my opinion and my recognition. I add value, I create something and that is success….
If that’s success to you too, then I look forward to hearing more accountable and less victim as we create strong, trusting inquisitive and accountable teams to deliver with purpose and on mission.
Until next time…
