Humbly Accept Accountability
Updated: Dec 6, 2021
Sometimes it is tempting to think that great leaders don't have people in their life holding them accountable. There is the off chance that these people don't have others in their life holding them accountable. Yet, I have a feeling if we did a deep dive into their life we would find accountability.
Being held accountable is not because of failure. It is not because you are not adequate enough to accomplish a goal. It is because we are all prone to overpromising, or "pushing it" to another day or night.
Think back to any time on Jan 1st when you set a New Years' resolution. Without accountability there is a strong chance a lot of your goals and aspirations for the year faded away.
I find that pride is the main reason that accountability is not established. Don't let that get in your way. Asking for that is not a sign of weakness. So just make it happen.
How to pick an accountability Partner?
Pick someone you trust will say what needs to be said. Not someone that will not call you when you fail or hold you to higher expectations.
You Trust this person
They will hold you to what you ask of them
You will listen to what they say
Who you pick is going to matter. So make sure you find a person or maybe even persons that can keep you accountable. Having more than one is not a bad thing at all 🙂
Give Yourself Permission
There are some things I have to give myself permission for. There are some items I have to write down before a meeting. I usually write something like, " I give myself permission to be honest and say what needs to be said because the health of our department is at stake".
It feels silly, but this has helped me a lot. Especially when I couple it with a why because it adds in the weight of the situation.
When you speak to your accountability person make sure you give yourself permission
I give myself permission to be honest and transparent FOR MY own growth
I give myself permission to talk about my failures to get back on track with my goals
I recently had an accountability person in my life walk in and tell me I lost track of my goals. I lost track of so many areas in my life. It was hard. It sucked to hear. But the growth that can come from this is huge.
I plan to take her advice and grow from this moment. To process and make sure I don't make the same mistakes again. I need to for the health of my goals and what's at stake.
Take the time to set up a network of people that can help you. Being accountable can be uncomfortable, but that discomfort is what will cause true growth!