Accountability is NOT the same as being held accountable. Being held accountable comes from outside of us and is usually out of our hands. Accountability is what we have control over. It is something we do and something we offer of ourselves to those around us.
Accountability means that when we make mistakes, we want to know it and to fix them. This requires a willingness and the capacity to learn from the mistakes. Believing we have the capacity to act is also a form of accountability. Accountability is essential to learning. It also demonstrates respect!
Positive Action and Accountability
No matter the situation, we have the power to act. Finding ways to act that are positive, doable, and lead to progress all demonstrate that we will do the job to the best of our ability. We can show we are holding ourselves accountable when we act.
At a planning meeting, a government official in Afghanistan told a room of his subordinates about a project he ran when he was younger. He told them a story of mistake after mistake that he had committed. But, as he told them, after each mistake, he learned and he developed solutions. On that project he never stopped making mistakes. And he never stopped learning and adapting to mitigate the mistakes.
He ended the story by asking his team, “Now, what are we going to do?”
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Related Topics
Rule of Law and Accountability
Powerlessness and lack of Accountability
Organizations and Accountability
Using Accountability
