Accountability
I have come to believe that whether it is in business or in your personal life, accountability plays a very big role. In regards to business, you cannot afford to not be accountable because this will ultimately lead to you losing clients.
For instance, I have observed that if I need my business to stay afloat and above my competitors, I need to state promises that I can keep and if for some reason that does not happen, I am morally required to inform the said party in advance.
I actually learned this the hard way and since then I explain myself in advance if a certain service or expectation will not be delivered. Being accountable shows your client that you value them and that losing them is not an option you take lightly. As a consultant, most of my clients appreciate the fact that I am upfront in my business dealings and that I hold myself accountable for their progress. Sometimes I uncover major issues for my clients and I have to break them bad news, that’s when you have to suck it up, be direct and to the point and avoid throwing blame around. This also applies in the workplace when a manager refuses to take responsibility for work done.
This shows immaturity in the workplace and individuals with these characteristics do not usually get promotions easily since they are all about excuses. I was a manager in this amazing place and my workers were casually doing work and not meeting deadlines.
This led me to receive the heat from my superiors and this really weighed on me until I decided that I needed to do something about it. I improvised ways in which they could complete the projects before the deadline and this was through offering them small incentives rather than criticism. Often times the “carrot works better than the stick!”
It worked… and those that kept lagging behind eventually got cut off. Being held accountable means that you under promise and over deliver.
What area in your life do you need to be more accountable?
