How To Take Accountability

What is accountability?

Put simply accountability is the ability, obligation and willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions.

Taking accountability may not always be easy, especially if you mess up in a significant way. Sometimes we need to save face, look good and act like we are perfect in all fields. But that is not realistic. As you enter a world of personal development, you will realise that you cannot escape the word and world of accountability. You will learn about the importance of responsibility and how it will aid your growth.

Do you want to continue growing, learning, and becoming the best version of yourself, then you need to hold yourself accountable? It’s not a nice feeling, don’t get me wrong but trust me, you will need to face the music and get with it. It is time to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Accountability at work

The workplace is full of different characters, different job roles and a bunch of varying workplace policies. There will be times when you are unsure of things and may wing situations hoping that things will turn out for the best. And sometimes things may go to shit. We are human! We are bound to make mistakes, and that is ok. If you do make mistakes, realise that everyone else will make mistakes at some point.

Ways to hold yourself accountable

Own up right away: Instead of letting the dust settle, own up to your mistakes as soon as you make them. It is so much easier. The longer you leave it, who knows it may make the situation ten times worse.

If you are unsure of something, say something- I used to hate doing this because I was worried about what people would think of me, “Ha! She doesn’t know what she is doing” Did we hire the right person?” Let me tell you, focusing too much on what people may think about us is incredibly draining.

In contrast, your supervisor/team leaders/managers will prefer to ask away if you are unsure. Ask all the questions that you can. There is no such thing as a wrong question. Plus, I am sure they would appreciate your honesty, you could be sailing the company save money and time wasted correcting your mistakes.

Show up– I’m not talking about just showing up on time but being present to put your best foot forward and work smarter (not harder). You can do it. You were hired for a reason, so trust that they saw your amazedness, so show up and show out.

Accountability in relationships

Let me tell you; I am still working on this one. Accountability takes a lot of strength and maturity. It is essential to take responsibility in relationships as you want to ensure that your relationships are healthy.

Why it is important to take accountability:

It builds trust– if your loved ones see that you have put your hands up and accepted your role in whatever transpired, they might understand that they can trust you to admit and work on your behaviours to make sure that it will not happen again.

It’s encouraging– taking accountability isn’t easy. Still, if your loved ones can understand that you put your pride aside and show your vulnerability, hopefully, it may make both parties more authentic.

Ways to be accountable:

Be truthful- no one likes a liar, be open and honest, and hopefully, everyone can grow from that situation.

Be honest with yourself first– How would you like it if your loved one wasn’t honest with you? I am sure it was dampen things quite a bit.

Apologise- How do you expect to move on if you can’t apologise. Say sorry and mean it. Imagine if someone hurt you and was just like, “well….” You will not appreciate that in the slightest. It could make you second guess if you want to continue building this relationship (especially if its a repeated pattern of behaviour)

Remember

No one is perfect- we all have things that we can own up to. Something that made me realise that ay, maybe I screwed up. But being self-aware is critical. We are aware to understand how your actions (or lack of these) played a role in the outcome of certain situations.

Personal character holds a lot of weight. I am not talking about how others see you as.
How do you see yourself?

When you go to sleep at night, do you see yourself as a decent person?

A person that can own up to their mistakes?

A person that has integrity and morals?

A person that is always looking to better themselves?

A key to finding happiness is believing that you are a decent human being that can admit they are wrong and do not let them beat you up inside and continue to grow and learn from teachable moments.