Accountability is an essential part of any successful team dynamic or relationship. But it is most important when we have accountability for ourselves.
Professionally and socially, it fosters trust, encourages collaboration, and helps ensure that everyone does their best.
Personally, it fosters discipline, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. Without the ability to hold ourselves accountable, building habits and reaching goals to live our best lives would be impossible.
This article will explore the importance of maintaining an environment that promotes accountability—whether that’s in your workplace or private life. We’ll cover some practical tips to help you put these ideas into action, so you can start benefitting from accountability right away!
Why accountability is important
Accountability is a core value for any individual, team, or organization. It’s important because it fosters a culture of responsibility, encourages efficacy, and makes it easier to reach personal or professional milestones.
It enhances personal responsibility
Accountability enhances personal responsibility because it encourages people to take ownership of their actions. When you know you will be held responsible for what you do and say, you tend to think more before you ‘do’ or ‘act’. You have to bear in mind the consequences of your words or behavior, which involves critical thinking and mindfulness.
Practicing accountability means taking ownership of your actions. This heightened level of personal responsibility promotes trust and mutual respect and helps to strengthen relationships with your colleagues, peers, family, and friends.
Accountability improves focus and productivity
Accountability is a key factor in improving focus and productivity in the workplace. Being liable for your actions encourages you to work harder to deliver better results. Naturally, we all want to succeed and be proud of what we produce.
When people are held accountable, they tend to be more focused and productive because they’re aware someone is watching over them. The COVID-era transition from office-based to remote working is a great example of this. Suddenly, showing up at the workplace and putting in the hours was no longer the measuring stick. Left to our own devices, in our home offices, we were judged solely on the work we produced. Despite the skepticism from many employers, peer-reviewed research[1] shows that remote working actually increases productivity.
Ultimately, being accountable means you’re being held liable, which improves your focus, reduces procrastination, and increases productivity.
Increases motivation and goal achievement
Accountability is a powerful motivator. Knowing that you will be judged on the outcome of your work or even words makes you want to do your best. So, you set out to accomplish the things you said you would. Professionally, it teaches team members to value their work and can lead to increases in skills and confidence.
(Accountability through negative self-talk decreases motivation and goal achievement. So make sure you use positive self-talk to strengthen your mindset and keep yourself accountable to being your best self.)
Accountability also helps with motivation and goal achievement because it encourages people to prioritize tasks and be more disciplined with time management. When we collaborate in an environment where we know we’ll be held accountable, we tend to communicate better. We set clear expectations which makes it easier, and more beneficial, to reach measurable milestones as we know what we need to accomplish and are motivated by the knowledge we’ll be rewarded for what we achieve.
The lack of accountability in society
A society or system which lacks accountability erodes trust. There are plenty of examples of a lack of accountability playing out in the real world.
Examples of a lack of accountability in various areas
A lack of responsibility in the workplace lowers morale and decreases efficiency and engagement. It can happen for a few reasons, usually because of poorly defined roles and responsibilities. The consequences are severe—they include a higher employee turnover and reduced quality of work[2], both of which can directly impact a business’s bottom line and, ultimately, success.
Another arena in which there’s often a lack of accountability is in various governmental systems around the world. Unfortunately, despite the checks and balances in place (like the separation of power), realistically there’s still a massive lack of accountability. This allows blatant abuses of power, decreases public trust, and feeds cynicism. When this breakdown of a functional system occurs, it opens the floodgates for fraud and corruption.
So, if a lack of accountability is so bad, why don’t we do more to prevent it?
Understanding the reasons for a lack of accountability
Being unaccountable isn’t (usually) an intentional state. However, human fallacy often means we behave that way.
One reason for an environment with poor accountability is a lack of clarity (in direction, the delegation of tasks and responsibilities, and communication). Ambiguity kills accountability—it’s easy to hide behind a murky job role and shift blame if it comes down to it.
Another reason people may lack accountability is that they don’t feel they have the necessary authority to take action and ownership of a project or task. They may lack confidence or simply not realize the importance of their position and their personal or professional power.
The success of those who embrace accountability
Accountability can bring great success to those who embrace it. Let’s have a look at a real-life example of individuals and organizations and how accountability played a pivotal role in their triumphs.
Elon Musk, Tesla, and accountability
Elon Musk is no stranger to controversy and is often making headlines. Although his visions and methods are pretty “out there,” there’s a lot to be said about his dedication to accountability.
For example, the announcement of his corporate pay package sent shockwaves through the industry, with The Times calling it “the boldest in corporate history.” Basically, he only gets paid if he reaches a sequence of “jaw-dropping milestones based on the company’s market value and operations.”[3] And if not? He gets nothing.
By holding himself accountable, Musk not only motivates himself but garners public and shareholder trust. With Tesla the world’s 7th most valuable company by market cap[4], he must be doing something right.
Why accountability leads to success
Being willing to own the outcomes of your choices and actions gives you more of a reason to make sure the outcome you produce is positive. In a team environment, it boosts productivity and empowers people to do their best work. Overall, accountability is absolutely critical to personal and professional success.
How to start embracing accountability
Many of us are guilty of not practicing accountability to its full extent. If you’re looking for ways to develop accountability in your life, here are a few areas you can start working on.
Identify areas in your life that lack accountability
The first step in tackling accountability is to recognize which parts of your life lack it. In your private or professional life, can you think of a recent time you actively blamed someone else for an issue?
An easy way to find out where you’re lacking accountability is to ask yourself if you’re often saying phrases like “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do” or, “It’s not my fault.” Just being more aware of this can help you to catch yourself and make the shift from blame or problem-based to solution-based thinking.
Set clear goals and track progress
Success rarely comes knocking at the door uninvited. To achieve anything in life, you need planning, preparation, and clear goal-setting. Writing down milestones is a great way to build a roadmap for success while holding yourself (and others) accountable in the process.
Also, tracking progress keeps you motivated. Hitting incremental milestones provides the confidence boost needed to keep energized, motivated, and focused.
Seek accountability partners or support systems
Pearson’s Law states, “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, performance improves exponentially.”[4]
Simply telling someone you’re going to do something makes you more likely to do it. So, in a work setting, this could be something as simple as reporting daily to your superior. In a personal sense, checking in with a friend or family member and holding each accountable for the things you accomplished (and said you were going to accomplish) is a great way to be more successful.
There are other benefits, too, including improvements in your social interactions. Research has shown that children who were encouraged to take personal responsibility for their actions also had more positive social interactions.[5]
Incorporating accountability into daily habits and routine
Finally, ensure that you practice these accountability habits in daily life. Personal (and professional) development takes time. It’s not an overnight fix.
Try keeping an accountability journal, or schedule a regular time to meet with a friend, family member, or colleague to discuss goals and achievements and keep each other accountable.
Conclusion
Overall, the importance of accountability is undeniable. Being accountable and taking ownership of your actions will support your short and long-term success, help boost your career, and improve your personal relationships.
With these tips in mind, it’s time to get out there and start embracing accountability in your own life!
References
- Nicholas Bloom, James Liang, John Roberts, Zhichun Jenny Ying, Does Working from Home Work? Evidence from a Chinese Experiment, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 130, Issue 1, February 2015, Pages 165–218, https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qju032
- Raffoni, M. (2020) Does your team have an accountability problem?, Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2020/02/does-your-team-have-an-accountability-problem (Accessed: February 6, 2023).
- Sorkin, A.R. (2018) Tesla’s Elon Musk may have boldest pay plan in corporate history, The New York Times. The New York Times. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/business/dealbook/tesla-elon-musk-pay.html (Accessed: February 6, 2023).
- Karl Pearson (2023) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Pearson (Accessed: February 6, 2023).
- Balderson, D. and Sharpe, T. (2005) “The effects of personal accountability and personal responsibility instruction on select off-task and positive social behaviors,” Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 24(1), pp. 66–87. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1123/jtpe.24.1.66.
