For many years, I’d wake up at 5am, take Tiger for a walk and come back to start my day. Fast forward through a cross country move, a wedding, and a 2nd dog, and some days I’m lucky if I make it to 6am and don’t crawl back into bed after the walk.
Self-accountability is the act of taking responsibility for one's own actions, decisions, and behaviors. It means that you take responsibility for the outcome of your actions without shifting blame to others or external circumstances.
It requires a very vulnerable level of honesty, self awareness, integrity, and a willingness to accept the consequences of one's choices. Setting clear goals and objectives, creating action plans, and following through on commitments.
When you hold yourself accountable, you stop blaming other people for your actions, and makes you transparent and honest about your progress and mistakes. You then become responsible for your own learning and growth.
People don’t like doing it
According to Mark Leary who authored “Motivational and emotional aspects of the self” published in Annual Review of Psychology in 2007, “people are reluctant to admit they have failed because of a general desire to avoid negative social evaluation and disapproval from others.”
Straight up, it’s uncomfortable. But so, so, necessary.
Because? It’s contagious.
Researchers Fast and Tiedens theorize that ”blame contagion” sets a precedent where others perceive it’s okay to start shifting blame once others do it:
“Authors found that after exposure to a target who blamed someone else for a failure (versus accepting responsibility for it), perceivers were more likely to shift blame for their own personal failings”
Why should Visionary leaders practice holding themselves accountable?
Taking responsibility for our actions is empowering, as it gives us control over our lives. We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond to it.
It sets a precedent for the team. If you’ve ever sat in a retrospective meeting and wondered what all the jargon going around means, it’s them learning that it’s OK to buzzword-themselves into a successful excuse.
Acknowledging our mistakes, learning from them, and taking steps to prevent them from happening again is powerful.
Blaming others builds resentment. Every product we build is an outcome of the whole team.
It also ensures that we set realistic goals, create action plans, and hold ourselves to them. It's easy to make excuses and put things off, but being accountable means following through on our commitments.
How to hold yourself accountable
Forget binding, arbitrary goals and start with a Vision of your ideal outcome.
Start small, take one step at a time, and respect the process. Every day, feel successful for that milestone, even if it feels small.
Track your progress.
Celebrate your WINS! and reflect on your achievements both small and big.
If you make a mistake, accept it, and then ask yourself, “What will I do differently now?”.
Don’t punish your team for making reasonable mistakes. Ask them instead, “What will you do differently now?”.
Have an accountability partner, someone you can admit to, “I didn’t act the way I wanted back there”. This could be a mentor or a therapist.
Tell “mistake” stories to your team. Laugh about it at the end, and communicate the important lesson you learned to the team. Show them it’s OK to admit fault.
Practice apologizing, genuinely, without qualifiers, or “buts”. Look them straight in the eye and thank them for the opportunity to grow.
If you are enduring layoffs, please consider what you as a leader will sacrfice also; because you led the team to this position.
Being accountable beings integrity to every aspect of your life
There are so many benefits of taking ownership, the biggest one being that you will live with intention and dignity in every aspect of your life, because you won’t resort to shifting blame to others when what is needed is action.
Improved self-awareness. Become more aware of your strengths and opportunities for improvement. This honest, objective awareness allows you to take a step back and see your involvement in the process.
Increased motivation. Stay excited because you’re more focused on your Vision.
Save time. Distractions and obstacles become surmountable because you’re not wasting time going over the same decisions in your mind.
Greater sense of control. Be more in control over your life. You are less likely to feel like a victim of circumstances or external forces, and more likely to feel empowered to create the outcomes you desire.
Improved relationships and team dynamics. You are more likely to communicate effectively, be reliable, and maintain trust with others. Your team won’t resent you when they see you taking responsibility like a true leader.
Personal growth. Accountability helps you become a better version of yourself and achieve greater success in all areas of your life because instead of finding ways to make excuses, you’re spending your energy on solutions.