how do you take accountability for your actions?
HOW TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY
I believe they're two types of accountability – introspective and interpersonal – that can exist separately or together, depending on the particular situation or task. Here’s how I would take accountability where an outcome affects either just me or others as well:
Ultimately, taking accountability comes down to being truthful with yourself about a situation, what lessons you can learn, the takeaways these lessons provide, and how you can apply these newfound solutions to resolve the issue – in the present moment and under future circumstances. I try to ask myself these 7 questions:
What happened?
How did I mess up?
What contextual factors (logistical, relational, environmental, communication gaps, self-management issues, etc.) played a role in the situation that lead to this outcome?
What lesson can I learn from this mistake?
How can I do better next time or prevent this outcome from happening again?
Who was affected by this situation?
Who do I need to speak to, and what do I need to do to make everything right – fix a project, pay a fee, apologize?
If the issue only affects me and my goals (i.e. I missed a workout or overslept), I’ll analyze the factors that lead to me missing this goal/promise to myself: Did I stay up too late the night before? How much screen time did I have after dinner? Was the food too heavy? Did I drink alcohol? Have coffee too late in the day?
Once I identify the probable cause, I’ll forgive myself and take this slip-up as a lesson. I’ll make sure to substitute the behavior that caused me not to follow through with this action. Maybe I’ll read before bed instead or switch to herbal tea by 6 pm. I could leave my gym clothes next to my bed to ease my resistance to helping myself achieve this goal.
If the issue has a domino effect and affects others (i.e. I miss a deadline and it sets back my entire team), I’ll first acknowledge the mistake to myself and see where I went wrong. Did I start the project too late? Did I have too many distractions? Was taking on this project too much given my already-existing workload?
Once I identify what went wrong, I’ll acknowledge it as a lesson. Then, I’ll apologize to the other affected parties, own what went wrong in the situation, work to fix the immediate situation or create a temporary resolution, and share how I’ll prevent this mishap from happening in the future. Initiate any action items or conversations you can to remedy the situation to the best of your ability. Sometimes, that could be notifying a team member for extra support shortly before the deadline when you realize your timetable was not adequate or working some overtime to remedy my mistake.
Don’t beat yourself up. Identify and own your role in the situation. Acknowledge how your contribution or inaction led to the current outcome. Apologize to any affected individuals. Execute tasks or have any conversations that could mollify the consequences. Share why the situation occurred and your plan to prevent the undesired outcome from happening in the future.
