Thursday, September 06, 2007
The Essence of Accountability
The word “Accountability” has come up during client discussions for the past two weeks now, and I’ve discovered a broad range of interpretations of the word. It’s run the gamut from “You figure it out.” to “Just do it the way I tell you to.” How’s that for getting specific? Neither of these interpretations gets to the heart of the matter—leaders want their team members to be answerable for their decisions and actions.
Think of ACCOUNTABILITY in 3 parts:
1) Responsibility - The first step is to say upfront that you are making a commitment to keep your word. This could be at the start of a project, a task, a deadline, whatever. You are saying at the beginning of the activity, “Yes, I’m realiable, trustworthy, and conscientious. You can depend on me to get it done.”
2) Empowerment - This second step happens while you are completing your agreed upon task. Empowerment comes from within you. It’s giving yourself permission to find answers when you come up against a brick wall. It’s different than ‘authority.’ For example, you may not have the authority to sign company checks, but you can empower yourself to find out who does.
3) Accountability - The final step is a review at the conclusion of a task. It’s owning the outcome—good, bad, or indifferent. If you’re like most leaders, you welcome the good outcome and are proably OK with the indifferent one. However, when a project fails your ability to learn from the lessons and regroup is what sets you apart from others.
Simply—Commit to your word; be courageous in finding solutions; own the outcome regardless of success.
Until next time...live like you mean it!
Marjorie