Accountability Begins with You


Accountability—the very mention conjures up feelings and thoughts of stress, being under a microscope or being micro-managed. Accountability is imperative to running any organization. Whether it is a business, a household or a team—everyone needs to be accountable. So where does it begin?

It is very interesting that when “crunch time” comes and slips or goes sideways, invariably the proverbial blame finger points outward, rarely inward. When was the last time you took and introspective view of a problem or situation and asked, “What could I have done to make that situation run smoother or better?” Point being, start with you first.

As managers, parents and coaches, we need to instill a great sense of accountability with our staff, children and players, and most importantly when they see that we have set the bar as high for ourselves, we expect that of others and we hold ourselves accountable, we then gain the respect, admiration and dedication we need as leaders.

In order to make accountability less of a negative, consider these points, and hone and develop excellent skills. These will lay a solid foundation for positive growth on many levels.

Set expectations and be clear. In any given situation it is so important to have clear goals and expectations—on both sides. You have expectations and so does the other person. As a sales manager, if your expectations are that the salespeople fill out call reports, explain and demonstrate in detail how and why you need these, what you are looking for and how these will benefit all parties to grow sales. Write your expectations down and go over each point, do not move forward until everyone is clear and has signed off on it. Sure, it is more work but it is so worth it in the long term.