Do you know that you have the power to make reaching your goals almost a certainty? Let’s take a look at what this means, how you can do it by holding yourself accountable.
WHAT IS ACCOUNTABILITY?
Accountability is:
- the degree to which you are responsible for your actions or decisions.
- not just as an obligation, but is also a willingness to accept responsibility.
- about delivering on a commitment or outcome, not just a set of tasks.
- taking initiative with thoughtful, strategic follow-through.
Why then is the meaning of accountability often charged with negative connotations, stress, and even fear? Accountability often gets a bad rap in the context of work because we associate it with punishment. A missed deadline or mistake which then results in blame thrust upon someone.
But accountability isn’t about blame. Rather, it is about being willing to own up to our commitments and subsequent actions.
HOW DO YOU DEVELOP PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY?
To foster personal accountability, gain clarity with reference to:
- Expectations – from yourself and others
- Capability – around your competencies and resources
- Measurement – confirm if you are on track
- Feedback – be honest, give and receive feedback
- Consequences – what are they?
WHY SHOULD YOU DEVELOP PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY?
The rewards of accountability:
- Increases productivity
- Helps you measure your success and progress
- Keeps you engaged
- Validates your thoughts and ideas
- Builds trust with others
- Increases job and relationship satisfaction
- Decreases stress.
The science of happiness tells us that happiness, like most of our emotions, is simply the result of releasing happiness-related chemicals into your brain.
Dopamine is released in the brain when we expect a reward. It’s that feeling of excitement we get when we are about to be rewarded.
Fostering accountability leads to happiness.
Personal accountability allows you to own a situation and resolve it to the best of your abilities. The power and ability to rise above your circumstances and achieve what you desire resides within you.
Regardless of your job role, title or responsibilities, you might like to ask yourself some fundamental questions:
“What is happening around me and what do I need to focus on personally in order to adapt and adjust?”
REFLECTIONS ON ACCOUNTABILITY AND ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS
- What is the reality you most need to acknowledge in order to achieve the results you want?
- How are you contributing to the problem and/or solution? What can you and can’t control?
- How can you take action? What initiatives will enable you to deliver on your commitments?
- What are you accountable to do and by when?
When you’re personally accountable, you take ownership of what happens as a result of your choices and actions. You don’t blame others or make excuses, and you do what you can to make amends when things go wrong.
To become more accountable, make sure that you’re clear about your roles and responsibilities. Be honest with yourself and others, so you can admit when you’re wrong, apologize, and move on.
And remember that mistakes and failures can be valuable teaching tools if you have the courage to learn from them.
