How Important is Individual Accountability?

How important is individual accountability to your success in the workplace? Before you answer, let’s talk about what accountability means. By definition accountability means: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions. That is a powerful definition in our day and age. How many people are willing to accept responsibility for their actions in the day to day decisions, tasks, behaviors exhibited in the workplace? In my effort to highlight core competencies for those of you in search of employment, I want to lay a foundation to build this information on. Individual accountability is a foundational component as you evaluate your core competencies. Your strengths and your weaknesses.

I am writing this post tonight because I want to challenge you to think about your level of accountability in your previous jobs. I also want you to think about how accountable you are willing to be in future opportunities. Do you play the shame and blame game when questions are asked about who did what? Or if your boss were to challenge a decision you made, would you buckle under the stress or can you stand up for why you made the decision?

Back in August I wrote a post, Do You Know Who You Are And What You Bring To The Table?, about a new president for the company I was working for at the time. Here is a quote from that post:

“Steve is new, two weeks in this organization and he is out meeting the customers and employees so that he can have a clear picture of what is happening now and then make an assessment about where he wants to take this organization. As I sat and listened to him this morning, I was hopeful. He has passion, new ideas, and seemingly an open ticket to do whatever it takes to move our organization from “good to great.” I like that! I can support that and I am excited about the future of our organization. He is the epitome of what I was attempting to say in my post yesterday. The reason Steve got the job is because he was able to convince his boss, the hiring manager, he could take our division to another level. I am excited to see if he will do it.”

I share this quote because I remember sitting in the meeting listening to the ideas, issues and changes this president wanted to bring to this organization. Since that meeting in August, there has been a tremendous amount of turnover. More than 30% of the staff has left the organization in our offices, including me. This organization did not see improvement. Things got worse, not better. Accountability, individual accountability, would be for this new leader, new president to stand in front of the same audiences he spoke to in August and take responsibility for the direction the organization has gone in since his arrival. Things didn’t improve.

This is one example of how a lack of accountability can impact an organization. The best way to demonstrate accountability is to do what you say you are going to do. And short of death, make it happen. If obstacles come up, communicate what is happening. Be accountable for your part. We don’t have enough of this happening in most organizations. If you are willing to be accountable for what you do, what you say… say that to the hiring manager in the interview. And then do it, if you get the job.

“The only way I see to get more productivity is by getting people involved and excited about their jobs. You can’t afford to have anyone walk through a gate of a factory or into an office who is not giving 120%.”
Jack Welch, CEO General Electric