What does it mean when we say “to be accountable”?
Most people fear the word accountability. They are afraid of expectations and how they will measure up. They are afraid of being held responsible for poor decisions and mistakes.
To them, accountability is a heavy burden that was created to crush them.
But what is accountability, really?
Business Dictionary’s meaning of accountability is: “The obligation of an individual or organization to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and to disclose the results in a transparent manner.”
The words obligation and responsibility are both scary in a sense that you have no choice but to do it and whatever happens will all be on your head.
When accountability is defined like this, it’s no wonder why people think of it as a punishment for something that went wrong.
Fortunately, that is not the case.
Accountability means owning up to your actions and becoming committed to achieving the result that you want.
Whether we like it or not, people will judge us based on what they think we’re doing and not what we want them to think we’re doing.
Accountability is just fulfilling these commitments in the eyes of other people.
The Oz Principle
The Oz Principle has a different definition of accountability. It is, “a personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results to See It, Own It, Solve It, and Do It.”
- See It – Acknowledging the problem
- Own It – Taking responsibility for the problem and the results
- Solve It – Determining what you can do
- Do It – Taking action
In Oz Principle, there’s a line that separates success and failure.
Above the line is where you’ll find the steps to accountability. Below the line is where you’ll find the blame game, finger-pointing, excuses and just basically waiting for something to happen.
Note that the definition above states “a personal choice”.
It is your choice to either stay below the line and gets stuck or to go above the line and get results.
With this definition of accountability, you can help yourself and your organization to do whatever it takes to overcome circumstances and achieve your desired results.
How to Be Accountable?
The choice to become accountable is easy but the things you need to do to become it… not so easy.
That doesn’t mean that it’s not possible.
So here are some tips on how to be an accountable individual.
Set SMART Goals
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound goals.
You have to first clearly define the goals that you want to achieve in your business.
It has to be well-defined and specific that EVERYONE in your company knows and understands what it is.
Here lies the difference between, “I want to be the best builder in our area” and “I want to have 10 projects every month for the next 15 years by providing great quality service and rewarding loyal customers with promotions and discounts.”
When you say measurable, it means that you need to have evidence that you are accomplishing your goals. You need to be able to identify what you should be able to see and feel when you reach your desired goals.
Is your goal attainable?
Even if you dream a bit too far it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.
Although you need to consider your capital, workforce, etc., with proper planning and executing it, you’ll get there.
Your goals need to be relevant to you. What’s worse than trying to achieve a goal that you don’t really want?
It’s wasting time on something that doesn’t mean anything to you.
And lastly, your goal has to be time-bound.
Goals that have no time limit might go on forever and will be eventually put off. Set deadlines for you and your team, but make it realistic and flexible.
That way you will be motivated to finish tasks quickly but at the same time removing some of the pressure.
Ask for Feedback
Actively ask for feedback from your team, your customer or your business coach on what you can do to improve.
Thinking that you alone can do all the decision-making in your business is a mistake.
You might not be able to see a problem yourself. But when you ask help from other people, you can have more ideas on how to tackle such problems.
You also have to ask for feedback from yourself. How are you doing? What else can you do to get what you want? Just waiting for something is below the line of accountability.
Asking for feedback can promote joint accountability and teamwork. That way, you will not be able to say that you did your job when the team has not achieved its goals.
Being honest is hard when you have to admit to a mistake and the need to blame others or make excuses will naturally be there.
But if you really want to become an accountable individual, you have to be honest and own up to the results of your work: good or bad.
Your honesty and ownership will show people that you are really doing what you need to do and you are not trying to hide anything. But it pays if you have a solution ready, as that will ease the tension.
Taking accountability can help you direct your path to your desired outcome. Accountability is there not as a punishment for your actions, but as a way influence the outcome and prevent mistakes from happening.