Accountability is something we all need, but few enjoy it.
When you truly embrace being held accountable to achieve your dreams, goals, and objectives, you can take off like a rocket.
Why is this so?
Because when you begin to see accountability as positive reinforcement, you’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish whatever you said you would do. It’s actually closely connected with having integrity.
Integrity has been defined by some as “who you are when no one is looking.” I believe this to be true. I also believe that integrity requires us to do what we say we’re going to do by the time that we say we’ll do it.
When you embrace accountability, you’ll consider your commitments more seriously. You won’t set half-hearted goals or objectives. You won’t set arbitrary deadlines that you can ignore or delay. You won’t overcommit to do too much in too short of a time period. You’ll become wiser and more diligent with your plans.
One problem that holds many leaders back from establishing an accountability culture in their organizations is the idea that “if I hold you accountable, then you can hold me accountable.” And most of us don’t want to be held accountable!
How do we overcome this challenge so we can allow accountability to take us farther faster personally and organizationally?
Consider the following 4 steps:
1 – Change Your Perspective
When you begin to see accountability as part of your success formula rather than negative disciplinary action, your mindset can change for the better. If you dread being held accountable, you’ll run away from it. If you realize how it can help you advance strategically, you’ll embrace it. It’s all about how you choose to view it.
2 – Become More Diligent
As stated above, when you take more time to choose your goals and objectives wisely, it will become easier to embrace accountability. Think through what matters most to achieve your vision. Cut out the busy work and become more intentional with your time, energy, and talents. When you define 3-5 key items to achieve in any given day, week, or quarter you’ll operate with more laser focus and your accountability check-ups can be celebrations rather than dreaded conversations.
3 – Invite Supporters to Hold You Accountable
We all need a supportive team around us in order to achieve our greatest goals. We’re not meant to go through life alone. When you explain to supportive people that you want to be held accountable so you can make your greatest contribution, you’ll gain people who want you to succeed. Tell them that you need them to hold your feet to the fire so you can make your greatest impact. This will give them the motivation to approach holding you accountable in a more enthusiastic, positive manner. This will give you the confidence that people are cheering for you rather than hoping that you’ll fail.
4 – Start Small, Then Expand
Most of us want to hit a grand slam before we learn to get a base hit. It’s natural to want to win BIG quickly. We wall want fast results. However, it takes time to develop into the person you need to become in order to achieve the big dreams, visions, and goals you have. When you start small, you can gain momentum with quick wins. These begin to build on one another and create a compound effect. One win becomes two. Two becomes four. And so on. Before you know it, you’ll be setting and achieving greater goals for yourself, your team, and your organization. Author and success mentor Darren Hardy once stated that we become overwhelmed by looking up at a staircase of 100 steps we must take, but if we’ll just focus on the next step, we can reach the top before we know it. Don’t overwhelm yourself with expecting too much too fast. Rather, embrace small beginnings and let momentum guide you to achieve bigger and better results.
Accountability isn’t a fun topic for most people, but if you’ll shift your perspective to see it as the way to fuel your forward movement, you’ll begin to embrace it and cultivate it among your team and throughout your organization. Decide today to become more accountable and set an example for your followers. Then, take the next steps to create and cultivate a culture where accountability is positively received because people can see how it can help everyone win.
Until next time, make today GREAT!
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