Whose Fault it is Anyway?

At a local high school basketball game, the game came down to the wire. Player A, the star of the team, is standing on the perimeter, surveying the defense, ball in his hands. Player A could easily take the shot, but instead, passes to Player B who’s wide open in the corner. Player B take a shot, but misses.

It would be easy for Player A to say, “Why didn’t he make that shot? He is terrible!” which may be an accurate assessment of skills, but instead, he chooses to ask himself, “How could I have set him up better?” and the insight that followed included, “I could have invited him to weekend shootarounds more often so he would feel more comfortable with that shot”.

When something goes wrong, what is your first instinct - is it to fix it or is it to find someone to blame? As a species, I believe we are quick to blame someone else for the things that happen in our lives. Or even when the impact on our lives is marginal, we still find ways to place blame onto other people. While this may help deal with the consequences in the long-term, the short-term suffers. Looking within can provide many benefits that can either lead towards growth, or strengthen our relationship with other individuals.

What is Accountability?

Accountability can be defined as the obligation to own the outcomes of your actions. This differs from responsibility because, with responsibility, you focus more on the process and the actions, whereas with accountability, you focus more on the results and the consequences. People who lack accountability typically do so to protect their ego, self-worth and reputation from the fear of shame, guilt, or negative consequences. While the logic checks out, as nobody wants to look like a fool or let others down, accountability can provide a positive impact in a variety of ways.

One, accountability fosters trust. When people begin to place blame on other people as a result of specific actions, resentment develops. It makes it more challenging to reach out to or communicate with that individual in the future, due to an expectation that they are going to be on the receiving end of some type of backlash. Taking accountability shows that achieving the desired consequences is a team effort.

Two, accountability can boost productivity. Often, results are out of our control, but focusing on the actions of others will not lead to the desired outcome as much as if I were to change my own actions. You cannot control others or the results, but you can control your actions, and by doing so can lead it to increased work ethic to achieve the desired outcomes.

Lastly, accountability enhances performance through ownership of actions. Being able to identify, accept, and learn from mistakes, can help foster continuous improvement, and the only way to do this is by taking accountability for your actions.

Holding yourself accountable is not easy and can oftentimes be uncomfortable. Even in times where we do take accountability, in a group setting, others may not follow suit, which can make the situation even more uncomfortable and even damage the team environment and working relationship. The key is to lead by actions. Just because others lack accountability, does not mean that you have to. Doing so in times of adversity can be the spark that others need to start taking accountability.

How to Increase Accountability

The first way to increase accountability is by asking yourself the simple question of “How did I contribute to the situation?” This can be beneficial for two reasons, with the first reason being that it shows others that you are willing to put in the work to achieve the desired results, even though you may have done your job. This shows others that everybody is equal and that the team succeeds when everyone succeeds, not just one person. This can also be beneficial because of how it may impact the emotions of someone who had a more direct impact on the results. Being the main contributor as to why the team did not achieve success can be a lonely feeling. Taking accountability in these moments, can help others feel more safe and more motivated to improve upon their skillset.

Another way is by providing and receiving regular feedback. Regular feedback sessions offer a consistent and constructive format to address performance gaps before they become a major issue. Accountability would likely increase since the amount of effort required to change tactics and achieved desired outcomes would be far less than if you waited before it was too late. This gives individuals a clear and more concise picture of how their actions need to change. What regular feedback also allows is for individuals to own their mistakes. Encouraging a culture where you discuss what went well and what did not go well, no matter the result, can make it a more comfortable process to acknowledge the things that went wrong and how to fix them.

Finally, a great way is to increase accountability is to develop a strong support system. When it comes to setting goals, having an accountability partner can increase the probability of achieving goals by 30 percent. Sometimes we do not want to do the hard things. Sometimes we do not want to wake up at 5 am and run three miles. Having that accountability partner can be the voice of reason, or source of motivation, to get you to do what you need to do to achieve your goals. Life is not meant to be a solo journey, so having those people beside you can help you fight through adversity and see tasks through to the end.

Final thoughts

Accountability is not about punishment, it is about power. The moment someone takes accountability for an outcome, good or bad, they gain the ability to change what happens next. It is never one person’s fault. It is more likely that there were a variety of factors that led to the undesirable outcome. Be the one to take accountability and show up for others so that yourself and your team can maximize their potential.