At work we hear a lot about responsibilities and commitments. These terms are usually applied to tactical and specific actions and deliverables. They are not typically indicative or definitive of who we are and what we perceive ourselves to be. Our personal Level of Accountability (LOA) is something we assign, define and measure ourselves…about ourselves.
We also hear a lot of politicians talk about accountability. The problem with most of the statements from politicians is that they are usually referring to someone else “doing” the task when they talk about accountability. Too many politicians have learned the Delegate and Blame game. There are exceptions. I’m not painting all politicians with the same broad brush here.
Our Level of Accountability defines who we are and how far we are willing to go to deliver what we promise. As I mentioned in parts 1 and 2 of this 3 part series.
- People want to count on you to get stuff done. Can they?
- If you say you are going to do something…Do you?
- Even if it means you work late into the night or spend more time and effort than you initially expected?
Each of these points help others know they can count on you to do what you said you would. Each of these form a critical part of your Level of Accountability.
Delegated accountability is still yours
Delegating a task does NOT abdicate the person from owning the task and owning the accountability.
If you ask someone to do something — Do you still expect it to be completed? (Hint: Of course you do!)
In a work environment there are nuances between managers, colleagues, customers and partners for the implied Level of Accountability. But, I can guarantee you that people ARE paying attention. People ARE keeping score. This is especially true for new employees. I don’t just mean young employees just entering the workforce. I also mean employees that transfer from another department or from outside. They are under scrutiny. People are watching…and not just their direct managers. They want to see how good this new person is. They want to see how much they commit to. They want to see how they deliver. In short, they want to measure the Level of Accountability.
Crowd Source Idea: Perhaps for my a future post I’ll write about “The Art of Delegation” (let me know if you are interested in this topic in the comments or directly.)
My bad
How often do we hear…“This was my fault. I own this” in work or social conversations? My guess is… not too often. I’m not advocating that you take responsibility and become accountable for something that is outside your purview. However, I am suggesting that you take it on the chin when it was your task and you missed the mark.
Raise Your LOA – If you have an idea to help address or otherwise solve a specific issue…speak up. Even if a problem is not of your doing. If you can help solve it…it can increase your Level of Trust & Accountability with your colleagues, your peers, your manager and depending on the scope of the issue with your customers and partners.
My challenge to you
Next time something that you “owned” becomes unraveled and does not meet your standards or the standard for which you made a commitment to deliver… I challenge you to own it. To stand up and say it. Say… “This is my fault, my responsibility.”
I like it when someone stands up and takes responsibility for a problem, issue or concern. It tells me they have a firm understanding of their Level of Accountability. It tells me that they realize they will take a hit for missing the mark. It also tells me they have the gumption to stand up and take it… to own it.
Question: Do you perceive someone that is willing to take the blame as weak?
For me… I don’t think any less of the person for standing up and taking responsibility and owning the accountability. In fact, it’s usually quite the opposite. I may not be happy with them and the impact it may have on other projects. However, I’m happy they are willing to own it.
Question: How often have we sat in a room and been asked… “Who’s responsible for this?”
And all that happens is everyone looks at their shoes or just looks around.
In business and in life… there are doers and there are takers. Sometimes the takers are the ones that accept responsibility and own the accountability.
Key point: accountability does NOT always mean fixable
This does not mean you are going to fix it. Sometimes there is no fixing possible. If it was a time based thing (and really, what isn’t time based) the clock may have run out and your only recourse is to never let it happen again.
What can you do?
One thing to consider are better questions. Asking better questions can lead to Increased LOA through LOT and LOI
Consider taking the time to be upfront and ask the tough questions. The reason to ask the tough questions up front is to insure you understand the issues and the timelines. Also, to insure your Level of Trust (LOT) and your Level of Intent (LOI) are kept at the high standards that you expect from yourself and everyone you work with.
By asking questions up front. By agreeing to what the specific asks and requests are. By fully understanding the timelines and deliverables. You can do a much better job of making and keeping commitments. In short… being accountable.
Accountability Matters. Make sure yours is at a very high standard. Demand it of yourself and expect it of others.
Author:
Jeff is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.
