Accountability: Where to Start?

Image credit: Brett Jordan

We’ve been talking about accountability and how fundamental it is to functioning successfully, be it your personal relationships, the workplace, or society more broadly. 

What does accountability look like in real life and on a daily basis? How can you increase accountability in your organization? 

As with most things related to leadership, it all starts very close to home - with yourself.

Can you trust yourself to do what you say you will do? Do you admit it when you fall short of expectations? Or do you make excuses for your behavior?

We’ve all made agreements with ourselves, only to fall short when the pressure is on. Being accountable to ourselves happens or fails to happen in big and small ways. 

For example, if you continually hit snooze when your alarm goes off, you are breaking the agreement you made with yourself about when you would get up. When you are continually late because you “lost track of time”, you failed to honor the commitment you made to other obligations.

What typically follows letting ourselves down in this way is one of two things: 

• You criticize and judge yourself. This creates discouragement and thwarts motivation.  

OR

• You tell yourself it’s ok. It didn’t matter anyway, no big deal.

If this happens continually, you experience self-doubt and mistrust with the most important person in your life - you. 

And if you can’t trust in yourself, it’s not realistic to expect others to see you as dependable. This erosion of trust is a significant disruptor that over time breeds cynicism, insecurity and hesitancy. It blocks initiative, causes stagnation, and prevents growth. In some ways, it would be better to not make commitments to yourself rather than making promises you repeatedly fail to keep.

So, before learning how to support accountability in others (we’ll do that next week), you must start by taking ownership of your own actions and follow-through.

Here’s a quick quiz to help you assess your personal accountability. (Don’t worry. We’ve all got room to grow).

Instructions:For each statement below, rate how true it is for you using the following scale:

1= Never true;   2=Rarely true;   3=Sometimes true;   4=Often true;   5=Always true

1. I follow through on the commitments I make to myself.

2. I take full and immediate ownership of my mistakes instead of making excuses.

3. My actions consistently reflect my personal values.

4. I am honest and reliable, even in moments when no one is watching.

5. I regularly reflect on my behavior and its impact on others.

6. I am honest with myself about my strengths and weaknesses.

7. I ask for help when I need it rather than pretending I have it all handled.

8. I follow through on what I tell others I will do.

9. I proactively seek feedback, even when it’s uncomfortable.

10. When under pressure, I stay true to my word and responsibilities.

Now, total the points and compare it to the following scale:

40–50: Highly AccountableYou consistently hold yourself to a strong standard of personal responsibility. You follow through, own your actions, and model the behaviors you expect from others.

30–39: Generally AccountableYou're doing well most of the time, but there is room for improvement. You may notice some inconsistency in certain areas, especially when under stress or when things don’t go as planned.

20–29: Inconsistently Accountable You are sometimes accountable, but there are several areas where your follow-through breaks down. Consider what’s getting in the way (e.g., fear, overwhelm, unclear standards) and where you might benefit from more structure or feedback.

10–19: Needs Attention Your current habits may be undermining your integrity, effectiveness, or trust with others. It’s likely that commitments are dropped, mistakes are deflected, or feedback is avoided. Reflect on what's driving these patterns and what supports can help you rebuild trust with yourself.

Now that you have a sense of where you stand, pick one area where you’d like to improve your accountability. It may be professional, financial, health related, or in a relationship. Reflect on the following questions:

• When considered through a lens of compassion and curiosity, what patterns or obstacles to accountability do you notice?

• In what ways might this lack of follow-through be costing you materially, psychologically, or relationally? What could you gain by improving your accountability in this aspect of your life?

• Change doesn’t happen overnight. What is one action you can take that would move you one degree closer to being more accountable in this area?