Accountability and Me

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Accountability and Me

All too often, accountability is a guilt ridden word. JLC would like to invite conversation around the idea that accountability is a personal commitment. When I make a promise to someone, I become personally accountable and interested in keeping my word. We'd love to hear how you see accountability in your practice. Please write and share your thinking.

Comments

Aronal Elderberry

|12-16-2009 02:21

truly a noteworthy idea where people feel professionally accountable to themselves nd to their teams
in my country, and business if you say you're accountable for something you are focusing a judgement on the individual or work team

I wonder where did the idea of accountability come from and how did it become such a blame word?

E. Hunter

|12-16-2009 02:28

I think this discussion is strange. Wouldn't someone want another person to know whether or not the person I question was successful at achieving a goal or objective.
This sounds a little soft for me where I'm dealing strongly with people who fail to meet an achievement level for their students. I feel like they are accountable and it's my place to point that out.

Betty Runsford, RN

|12-17-2009 02:32

Soft is the wrong term for me. One of my early failings in leadership was to push too hard down to my employes. I wish I had another way to talk about responsibility and accountability. Today, I can appreciate the strength and power of making promises and being accountable. I try to do that with all my employees.

Ed Huerstien

|12-17-2009 02:36

I feel strong agreement with all these ideas about personal accountability. But, I still have people who are just putting in time and cashing their paychecks. How does this connect to these ideas of personal accountability and promises?

Becky H. Smith, Ed.D.

|12-17-2009 06:41

I am writing a book, Creating a Masterpiece - What Leaders Need to Know about Implementation. I have been doing research in this are for several years, interviewing diverse populations, leaders about 70% of change initiatives fail (Harvard's Kotter's statement in his book, Sense of Urgency) It's a complex issue and leaders often don't set up the process for accountability, or walk the talk, or expect results. People want to succeed and yet, their time and realistic process to get results are often minimized by leaders. It's an ethics problem, mental model problem, and there are often not clear expectations around the vision and process to achieve desire outcomes. To me, this is hard stuff Becky :-)

Rich Hawkins, Ed.D.

|12-17-2009 07:10

The word "accountability" conjures up negtive MM's, largely because people experience "accountability" as something done to them (and, something often not done to those who really need it!).

Accountability is less a word than a process. Accountability is frequently imposed from above and those that implement it are generally lacking in alignment theoretically and practically, hence the negativity.

Accountability becomes less threatening if it is well designed - collaboratively with all stakeholders at the table. It also becomes less threatening if it is fair and purposeful. It should emphasize growth, not judgement, and align with the needs of the organization and the outcomes it seeks. It is more about capacity-building than an inventory of perceived weaknesses that have a bad habit of becoming institutionalized due to inaction related to the data findings.

Senge's "design teach, steward" notion plays into reframing "accountability" i...

khalil Ismaan

|12-17-2009 09:54

Great thread everyone. Very insightful remarks. Best of luck on your book, Becky.
Please speak more about data findings and bad habits from Dr, Hawkins comments.

Many thanks in advance.

K

Jane Mansuy

|01-05-2010 04:19

I like the idea of collaboration if it is real and not just-"Let's talk together and I will tell YOU what to do." It makes more personal sense to commit personally to something I designed. The only time I hear "accountability" it is a code word for a negative judgment of someone else. I wonder if we focus on the personal commitment of leaders and o honest conversation if accountability will take care of itself?

Chris Cothron

|01-12-2010 08:43

It's interesting to me to note that the concept of accountability is only negative if you do not achieve the intended goals. In our business the automatic negativity of accountability originates in the fact that what you are accountable for is not decided by you but by some one or some agency which holds a controlling factor over your work. I agree with Jane that if I personally have the opportunity to collaborate, I am more willing to commit to being accountable.

jeffrey kasper

|01-12-2010 11:07

I view accountabiility as a two-way street. As a leader, I am accountable to my co-workers for providing the resources and professional development necessary for them to feel positive about their ability to help our students reach the goals for which we have made ourselves accountable as a group. That the State or other bodies put additional pressure upon us is irrelevant, as we strive to reach the highest standards-our own. With regards to those who are putting in time and cashing paychecks, they marginalize themselves within the group and ultimately either become outliers or decide to get with the program as it is more socially acceptable.

Michael Hynes, Ed.D.

|03-11-2010 07:26

I agree with what Rich stated about capacity building. I feel most people think accountability is a dirty word where one can be punished if the organizations results are not shown or misaligned. I focus on my own accountability in my personal and professional life and reflect on how I can through a systems approach reach my desired results. Personal accountability is a means to an end through a journey of self reflecting.

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Brian McElyea, PhD

|08-03-2010 14:35

Great discussions. I think accountability has a sister called personal responsibility and a brother called free will. Her parents are there to ensure engagement, direction, and alignment through balancing the sibling actions. It takes the whole family to ensure success in the organization.

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