Do you hold yourself as accountable as you do for others?
I was chatting with a fellow business owner on Saturday about scaling the business, marketing, and hiring employees. We got on to the subject of planning out our weekly tasks, or HPA’s as I call them, and the subject of being accountable for your actions.
I explain that no matter what I do in business or the issues that arise, I always hold myself fully responsible and accountable for what goes on in the business.
Accountability is an essential ingredient for success…….but one that many of us struggle with when holding ourselves genuinely accountable.
Often we’re great at holding others accountable for their actions, but we have difficulty applying the same level of accountability to ourselves.
As leaders, the more accountable we can be, the more we inspire accountability in those around us and the more successful we will have within our team and business.
Accountability allows us to make the changes needed for success, while blame takes us further away from our goals.
Ultimate accountability is one of the cornerstones of Motivational intelligence and can be responsible for up to 60% of your success in life.
“Wisdom stems from personal accountability. We all make mistakes; own them… learn from them. Don’t throw away the lesson by blaming others.”
― Steve Maraboli
When we lead in a way that promotes accountability rather than excuses and blame, we create a progressive and positive culture within our team. Our energy is focused on solutions, progress and outcomes rather than responsibility, frustration and looking backwards.
So, how do we hold ourselves accountable?
What exactly does it even mean?
Accountability means taking full responsibility for our actions……whether things go well or not so well, and understanding that our choices and decisions are down to us alone, and there is no place for blame.
There is only room for learning and moving forward.
“It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.”
―Moliere.
Nobody ever gets everything right, but as leaders, when we refuse to hold ourselves accountable, we set that as the standard for our team to follow.
Not only that, but we lose trust from our employees…..people don’t trust someone who never seems to be accountable.
When we take responsibility and bring accountability to our actions, we are more likely to gain trust and buy-in from those in our teams.
Accountability is all about doing what we say we’ll do when we say we will do it!
And I can’t overstate the importance of this in business.
“Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have a habit of making excuses.”
— George Washington Carver
Here are some key ways to achieve greater accountability…….
Firstly, we have to have clarity and honesty around our goals – writing them down, making them public among our team, and having a process of reporting our progress are all ways to help bring greater accountability to our goal setting.
Next, we must commit to our daily high payoff actions (HPA’s) to lead us towards our bigger picture, our vision.
When something is on my HPA list for the day, it gets done, regardless of what else happens……I have a deal with myself that it always gets done.
How do I stick to this process when some days it would be easier to put things off until tomorrow?
Because I’m committed to my vision, the goals that keep me moving in the right direction and the mission I’m working towards.
I know my actions today will help me achieve my goals…..so it’s non-negotiable for me.
Ultimate Accountability is about showing up, being there for your team, and doing the work, about learning and having a win or learn mentality. It’s about accepting that it all comes back to you.
“The Rate Of the pack is always defined by the pace of the leader.”
Having a mentor or coach is another excellent way of increasing accountability…..someone with whom you make commitments, discuss challenges and learning points, and supports you in achieving your goals and objectives.
At The Power Within, we offer business coaching and mentoring to help business leaders overcome barriers and fulfil their full potential. We provide knowledge, support, encouragement, accountability and crucial business skills to help leaders think bigger, become better, and achieve more than they ever thought possible.
Here, you can find out more – and book your business or team coaching taster session:
https://www.thepowerwithintraining.com/solutions/business-coaching/
James Fleming
The Power Within Training,
The Motivational Intelligence Company
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