The Gift of Accountability
Once upon a time there was a noun named Accountability, the precious offspring of Love. Without anyone to hold accountable, Accountability sought Wisdom and learned that it’s not good to be alone. Now operating in true purpose, Accountability enjoyed the life-changing understanding of esteeming others better than itself. Accountability began to hold others accountable, as well as, teaching the value of striving together in unity and helping others to do the same.
Can you relate to this short story in any way? I did, and it made my lifestyle of leadership so much more enjoyable.
The word accountability appears to have a controlling connotation attached to it, as society has not given it the popular vote. However being accountable to someone is one of the greatest gifts of love. It humbles and welcomes the assistance of another. If done correctly and with the right motive, accountability is not an invasion of privacy or an intrusion of someone’s personal space. In partnership with wisdom, it magnifies communication and personal growth to levels that could not be obtained from singular thinking.
Responsibility and accountability starts with self; however, the lack of wisdom and agreement is often over shadowed by excuses and incomplete projects that “I’ll get back to later.” Therefore, as a Leader, I chose to be a better example, having witnessed the impact of accountability while leading in the U.S. Army.
Army leadership also recognized that it was “not good for man to be alone” and instituted an accountability procedure called, the buddy system. With the exceptions of personality conflicts and personal inconveniences, this partnership has proven instrumental in easing the transition to the military lifestyle, reducing suicide and sexual assaults, promoting cooperative problem-solving, increasing confidence and morale, decreasing stress, improving safety in training and combat, improving communication, and promoting better leadership skills. Unfortunately, this process does not require a mutual agreement; it is mandatory with legal implications if violated. Fortunately for Soldiers, mandatory has proven beneficial to individual and team success over the years.
When the John Maxwell Team (JMT) added an accountability partnership program to the Mentorship Program, I was excited to participate. Unlike the military approach to accountability, participating in a program where there is ‘mutual agreement on performance, mutual respect, clarity on goals, effective communication, and commitment to continuous personal and professional improvement,’ screamed success. Success being so subjective, makes accountability partnerships great for anyone with a vision.
Partnership provides clarity in goal setting when more than one set of eyes can see the same end. While accountability provides the assistance that is required to keep participants focused, on track and celebrating sooner.
The gift of accountability is awesome, yet what happens at the point of disagreement? What is the solution when the relationship becomes lopsided? From an Army Officer’s perspective…”shoot’em and get a new partner.” Just kidding. This is never the solution as accountability is truly birthed out of love; i.e. an others-minded relationship. It is well worth the effort to work towards a mutually agreed upon solution. During one of the JMT certification events, John answered a question that provides a great solution for the above questions.
Q: How do you help people eliminate excuses?
A: Assure them that you want to help them. Ask how much permission do you have to help them on a scale from one to ten.
A: If seven, for example, ask what does seven mean to them.
A: Ask if seven means that “I can talk to you about things that you may not want to hear?”
Asking for permission levels the playing field and normalizes expectation. In order for accountability to remain a gift and not a curse, the groundwork for success must be known at the beginning and followed through to the end. “You have to love people. When you stop loving people, you stop leading people.” John C. Maxwell
About the Author
Sharon is a Minister, service disabled, retired U.S. Army Veteran, Entrepreneur, and Author, pursuing her love for making positive impact in the lives of others.
She is a Leadership expert, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alethes (AL-AY-THACE) Consulting Group, providing leadership coaching, speaking and training to corporate executives, non-profit organizations and individuals.
She is a certified John Maxwell Coach, Teacher, Speaker, a Certified Defense Financial Manager, a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Mediator and a Christian radio show host for “The Rose of Sharon Show” on the Survival Radio Christian Network.