Two of the focuses of my blog are Creating Ecosystems of Success and Health/Wellness. A little known secret of life is that accountability is critical. Accountability is an important but difficult attribute but it is essential. The following contributed post is entitled, Why Accountability Is So Important.
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Photo by Helena Lopes from Pexels
Whether it is at work or home, being accountable is a vital characteristic. Accountability is the foundation of honesty, compassion, integrity, and it will help you to build deeper and more meaningful relationships.
It’s a simple concept to be truly accountable. All it requires is for you to own everything that you do, and that happens to you. From your attitude and your actions to your communication and mistakes. While it is simple in its concept, it can be hard to apply this to all areas of your life, however without it you will make your life harder, potentially hurt people and, in the long term, you won’t live a full and rounded life.
Accountability in personal relationships is essential. It helps to diffuse arguments and strengthen love. Everyone makes mistakes; however, it is how we deal with these mistakes that matters. If you can hold your hands up, apologies to the person you love and truly understand why and how your actions have affected them, they are more likely to forgive you and move on. Many people will only focus on what matters to them. This is why a lot of marriages fail. Two people are unhappy, and they are trying to communicate what is hurting them, however, if only one person is accountable, then the relationship will become unbalanced. As one person grows, the other stays the same, and it is this which divides marriages and ends love. Put simply, someone who is accountable for their actions will outgrow the relationship if you cannot do the same.
We all make stupid mistakes from time to time. Maybe you went to help a friend who was upset, and you were doing a good deed. He offered you a drink, and you agreed. As the night went on, you had a few more, and without thinking, you drove home. All you could think about was being a good friend and getting back to your family. Unfortunately, if you are stopped, the police won’t be interested in any of that. You will end up with an OUI, and your licence will be taken away. However, if you show accountability, don’t focus on excuses for your actions but admit you should have said no to the first offer of a drink and made better arrangements. If you can prove to a judge that you are accountable for your actions, and you are sorry, then you may be able to obtain a hardship license. This could mean you are able to continue to drive under licence and not lose your job. Even the law respects accountability.
At work, it is vital. We are faced with many situations in our working day that could leave us feeling bitter and resentful. Imagine you went for a promotion, you had been at the company for a long time, and you were confident that you were good enough for the position. However, your boss tells you that he has hired someone else. Instead of losing sleep over it and letting it lower your productivity, you need to speak to your boss and listen to his decisions. Listen to what he tells you, perhaps there are things you do at work that need to be improved. If you don’t find out, then you will never know and you won’t be able to improve yourself or achieve the fantastic things you are capable of. If after listening to his decisions, you still believe your boss is wrong, then accept that it is his choice and the consequences of making the wrong decision lie with him. Let it go.
You may also find a situation where one of your colleagues criticizes you. Perhaps they say that your team doesn’t think you listen and that you always seem to communicate negatively. If you defend your actions, then you will only enforce their thoughts. An accountable person will seek to listen and understand. If we make people feel a certain way, then it’s essential to know why. You should always thank someone who has the guts to talk to you; it’s tough to criticize someone, especially if you have to work with them every day.
Being accountable isn’t just about doing the right thing for other people. It is about understanding who you are and how you are perceived. Having the strength of character to question, listen and accept will make you a popular person to be around. Your life will feel much happier, and you will move forward instead of staying in the same place your whole life.