Self Accountability at Workplace
How does one manage to keep up the self accountability? Roughly 6000 years of recorded history shows that every generation has to cope with the same trials… Indeed, a truly human leader doesn’t step back from self accountability. The heat will reveal him! As a leader, you can’t change the way people act or perform directly, but by controlling your own responses to different situations, you can start to influence the cultural change. Work with individuals to establish their “skin-in-the-game” (WIIFM), how they fit within the larger puzzle (worth), and why success will not be achieved without them (meaning).
By far and away the single-most shirked responsibility of executives is holding people accountable. No matter how tough a game they may talk about performance, when it comes to holding people’s feet to the fire, leaders step back from the heat.
-a 2012 article by the Harvard Business Review
Let’s get a clear understanding of the pitfalls of some peoples human condition. Some people are driven by ego others by knowing their own greatness. As people work and juggling family life people can get bogged down with day to day living as we all feel there has to be some thing better. Lighting the fire in their bellies where all motivation stems from. For instance, “if your heart is not in it you won’t do it” all stems from below your belly button that fire derp below. Power is something which really destroys most of those who have it. To keep a cool head amidst all the power and to use it judiciously is what we all require . And then only we could call ourselves as Human and a Human being. This self realization changes us to be a Human Being from the Homo Sapiens that we all are biologically called.
The self accountability story of two kings Saul and David:
David had to deal with the past mistakes as when he was young he was void of understanding. There is a scripture that says: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” It requires courage to step out of the pattern; out of the ‘comfort zone’. Exposure Time …. How to get the very best from your workers is very much the same as understanding how to make love to a woman’s mind and undress her subconscious, in order to answer that question you must first give an example of how you would use that in every day life. Funny thing is, its the easiest question in the world yet I still have to find some one who can answer that. I know I can,in a way that when you hear it you would understand it very clearly. Sense of self-actualization or self-realization may develop a sense of responsibility and self accountability too. There is no excuse whatsoever for illegally bugging someone’s home or entering it without their consent. I owned my home. The only person who could give permission was me. And I never did and never would.
How can I facilitate the idea of taking Accountability?
Almost everyone wants to be “accountable” and part of a team. That ‘good’ definition of accountability is similar to ‘taking responsibility’. See a problem, take responsibility for it until it’s solved or you’ve found the person to solve it. Responsibility is personal and horizontal, a very strong feeling of ownership. It’s about one person having an intrinsic sense of ownership of a job or task and then the willingness to face the consequences of its success or failure. As a truly human leader, don’t step back from the heat. Bring the kindling to help light the fire inside your team. Motivation comes from within. Accountability isn’t about holding someone else’s feet to the fire - it’s about having an intrinsic sense of ownership. Self accountability is taking ownership of the task and being willing to accept the consequences of its success or failure. Too many people and organizations have these basic principles backwards.
Does Accountability mean Blame?
Failure should not define you-rather it should direct your path to success. It forces you to dig down and reflect and own who you are - it’s so important to be authentic, kind, giving, passionate and resilient in professional and personal life. Can we ensure our influence and confidence comes from the inside rather than from the artificial halo of authority conferred on us? Can we view positions of power and authority as opportunities to contribute rather than blame. Leadership is not about to rule others, it’s about developing others as a leader. A person with the authority and power should be more has to be self evaluated. Leader responsibility to think about others not for the own.
To thine own self-be true
Removing the culture of fear facilitates a team and its members taking self accountability. Occasionally, when we fail, there’s nothing anyone can say that will mean as much as how we already feel. Having that sense of value/worth and ownership, feeling welcomed and belonging as part of the team are all crucial variables. The only people who can take responsibility and admit their illegal and unacceptable behaviour are those who cannot justify their behaviour. It’s illegal. Full stop. The reason we see examination of accountability slide a bit is because of the failure of leaders to accept their self accountability. If leaders seek to draw out root cause in the shortcomings or outright failure of something (a product, an initiative, a revenue forecast, etc.), they have to start with their own piece of it. Sadly, managers and leaders overlook or ignore accountability precisely because they don’t want to expose their part of it. Responsibility must be bestowed, but accountability must be taken.
What is the Culture of Service definition of Self Accountability?
Accountability is Role based and Vertical. Once your leadership starts demonstrating accountability, you might have a chance of your teams adopting it as well. Management accountability is the primary way to get things done in an organization. It is a personal choice to rise above one’s circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving desired results creates such a powerful change in perspective, you can’t hold someone accountable but leaders can create the environment that makes accountability possible. True accountability… taking ownership of responsibilities and squarely facing the results… is what leaders should model and instill. The “accountability” comes on the heals of someone screwing up. That person needs to “account” for their actions! Plain and simple. If their account of their actions aren’t up to my expectation, some type of disciplinary action will follow.
Our job as leaders is to create environments that give people the space and freedom to take initiative themselves.
Politics at Workplace:
The most important thing about an entrepreneurial world is that the enemy is without, not within. I can’t have an employee who holds back information for political reasons or unless they are going to get something in return. We operate in a much too fast-paced environment for that kind of internal trading. People that have a political agenda when it comes to the issues that are a planetary challenge to everyone, only provide a barrier to successfully addressing the climate crisis we are faced with. If one is willing to work hard, then almost always it is better to forgo formal education and work directly for a successful Jewish businessperson.
Therefore, a culture of service is a shared purpose where everyone is meeting the needs of others inside and outside the organization. A true leader can instill motivation onto others through the act of serving. The difference comes from those who truly care and care truthfully. We are socially infectious human beings who gravitate towards the inspirer, the motivator, the persuader…the TRUE leader. Yes - we serve our people so our people want to serve others. Monkey see monkey do. We often hear building relationships with your customers is vital to your success, yet we do nothing to build and/or strengthen the relationships with the people we spend 30% of our human life with! Sad.