Accountability Starts With C
Have you started a number of times only to end up in the same old trot? Want to be more active, eat healthier, write more? What gives?
The word “accountability” popped into my mind this week while I was revelling in the sweet chocolaty taste of an Easter Egg when I should have completed an assignment.
Being “accountable” is one of today’s favourite corporate buzzwords, but do we actually know what being accountable is?
Show of hands: How many of you know how to MAKE others accountable? (Can we? Do we?)
What does that even mean?
Google offers about 223 million options for answers. They range from “take ownership” (kinda helpful) to “Be clear about your role.” (not so helpful)
All of them still left me feeling like Luke Skywalker first attempting to use the Force. “But how?”
And here’s the bottom line: You need to care. Really, deeply care.
A Bit Of Soul Searching
As a leader, ask yourself the question: What do you care about? What does your team care about?
Do they care about what you care about? Why should they?
And please don’t stop at the first obvious answer. Dig deep, and then dig a bit more.
For instance, why do you (really) exercise?
For a long time I thought I wanted to exercise to stay fit. But going to gym was such a slog.
After weeks of diligent journalling, asking Google and lounge-pacing I realized: The bottom line was that what I really cared about was my love for travel, and the ability to immerse myself in the local surroundings — be it hiking or snorkeling — that requires my physical ability.
Having realized that helped me reframe my entire perception of exercise.
So ask yourself again, what to you REALLY care about? I don’t even believe it has to be something glorious or “charismatic”. What matters most to you, and why?
Accountability and Motivation
Are accountability and motivation the same thing? How often have you heard that we need to “increase motivation around here”?
Especially in a work environment, this observation is often followed by a raucous get-together where so-called inspirational quotes are thrown around to make everyone go the extra mile.
Just to be back in a swamp-slog the week after.
On motivation, Jim Kwik points out that “You don’t need to feel good about doing something, but you do need a reason.” And ideally that reason aligns with what you care about.
Perhaps you can think of motivation as energy then, the current that keeps you moving forward, and accountability as the compass to ensure you’re going in the right direction.
If you are a leader and you can’t answer those questions around “What do you care about?”, accountability will remain nothing more than good intentions and fuzzyness forever.
You can’t make people accountable or motivated just by saying so.
The only way you can influence both is by understanding your compass and align your and your team’s energy towards it.
