Welcome to this episode of Jack Chat and another tiny lesson in leadership, straight up.
In this episode, I’d like to talk about accountability. When people ask me for advice on accountability, it’s usually about how to HOLD people accountable. But that’s not what this episode is about. Instead, I want to talk about how to BE accountable.
So…I guess you can consider this a tiny lesson in personal leadership.
Perhaps the most important thing I can say about accountability is that accountability is character. Specifically, a character of ownership.
This means accountability is much more than getting work done on time and meeting requirements. Highly accountable people care about those things, but they also care just as much about how they conduct themselves while doing their work and they take responsibility for the consequences of their work.
Here’s a few more things they do:
- Consistently show up ready to contribute their ideas and energy.
- Care about how they treat others while doing the work.
- Push through tough times with grit and honor.
- And they do all this with a deep sense of generosity, expecting nothing special in return.
I know there are real things that can get in the way of fully owning your work. Things like lousy bosses and layers of bureaucracy. But it’s what you do despite those obstacles that determines your accountability character.
Here are a couple of self-reflection questions to help you consider your personal accountability:
- Am I fully contributing my capabilities to the work I do in my organization?
- If not, how is my own attitude preventing me from being more accountable?
- What can I do today to take more ownership of my work?
Give those questions some thought…and join me again for another chat!