Rethinking Accountability

“Deciding that I have created the world around me – and therefore I am the one to fix it – is the ultimate act of responsibility.”  ~ Peter Block

Have you ever worked on a team where it felt like people weren’t pulling their weight? Where the doldrums of mediocrity seemed to take root? Or you kept waiting for the leader to step up and hold people accountable?

You’re not alone.

Our number one most asked about issue facing teams is accountability. This jives with the research; across all industries it’s one of the hardest behaviors to master.

Certainly accountability is complex because it necessitates the combination of self reflection, courage and relationship. And demystifying accountability starts with you. Yes, we know, it is so much easier to create a list of ways in which we wish others would change – but to truly change things comes by first internally shifting ourselves. Leadership requires that we shift ourselves.

For a moment, rethink accountability as something that happens internally and is contingent on a choice we all get to make. We all get to choose how we show up in life. Whether we bring positive energy and are steeped in possibility, or we operate from a place of negativity is a choice. The daily drumbeat of life’s to-dos can drown out our ability to remember that we always get to choose the way we show up. Often what makes accountability such a sticky-wicket is our tendency to avoid taking full ownership of a situation by how we show up or not show up, by what we say or don’t say. We often abdicate responsibility by inaction, by not speaking the kind truths or avoiding the discomfort of a situation that requires we show up fully. How do you know if you’re avoiding responsibility and accountability? Blame, shame, and resentment are typically the smoke signals. Often it begins with having a difficult conversation with someone.

The leader sets the tone on the team. As we like to say, folks can only swim in waters as deep as you are willing. If you avoid difficult conversations, others will as well. If you do not remind others who they truly are when their behavior is unproductive, neither will others. What’s a hard conversation you are avoiding? Is there something or someone you are avoiding at this moment? Have the hard conversation, speak the kind truths and hold the people around you to high standards. They will thank you every time; you will thank you every time. When we show up within our own integrity, it is the right kind of hard. Every time.