As a professional coach, often clients will say, I want you to hold me accountable yet when I ask exactly what does it look like to you, they are often unsure. Leaving me as the coach to guess and attempt to match my actions to their expectations.
The idea of accountability is interesting and can be a slippery slope. Often the way the word is used involves an attachment to blame or being wrong or at fault. The first step to tackle this slippery slope should start with a shift in our context around the meaning. A great beginning is to define it around the desire to take responsibility for our results and actions along with a healthy attitude of setting up non-negotiable choices on our actions and behavior. It becomes a shift in thinking from that of a victim to one of accountability.
In our lives and specifically in our professional environments we need to create a culture of individuals taking ownership and as a result not only will we experience tangible results it will also creates intangible results such as job satisfaction, work/life balance and less stress.
Remember that no only is being a victim a choice, so is being accountable and it just may provide more than you think.
