04 PILLARS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability is the obligation of an organization or individual to account for activities and accept blame for failure.
Accountability is the obligation of an organization or individual to account for activities and accept blame for failure. A person who is accountable may be called upon to answer and account for outcomes. Accountability is about taking responsibility for your actions, always ensuring you are competent to do the activity you’ve been asked to perform and always putting clients’ interests first. You should be doing it as part of an agreed plan of care for the client.
It is obligation for an individual or organization to account for its activities, accept responsibility for them, and disclose the results in a transparent manner. In other words, a person labeled as accountable for a task or project has to bear the consequences (good, bad, or neither) for any related decisions, actions, results, etc. In short, they are “held” accountable. And, they must “account” for what happened. Many employees work under the impression that their actions are not accountable. How can an organization be successful without accountability? The answer to the question is simple, “It Can’t.” Organizations are accountable as well as employees.
The 4 pillars of accountability
The following four pillars for accountability create a strong platform for work and as well as real life.
- Responsibility
- Answerability
- Trustworthiness
- Liability
Responsibility: A duty that binds to the course of action.
Answerability: Being called to account.
Trustworthiness: A trait of being worthy of trust and confidence.
Liability: Being legally bound to a debt or obligation.
Responsibility
Responsibility is a duty that binds to the course of action. Simply stated we are responsible to demonstrate responsibility by being proactive and fully understanding our purpose, our vision, our mission, our values, our role, our values. To be responsible, we will have done our homework before we dive into relationships, jobs, endeavors and ask what is expected of us when we are not clear.
Answerability
Answerability is being called to account. This follows responsibility in that when ask what we are providing or delivering is of the best quality, the best price and the absolute best value. To be answerable, when questioned, that how we are behaving personally and professionally supports what we are telling others we do or charging for in terms of products or services.
Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness is a trait of being worthy of trust and confidence. Trust is something that is earned. Our behaviors can build or destroy trust. Honesty and integrity are the linchpins that hold relationships, companies and communities together.
Liability
Liability is being legally bound to a debt or obligation. This is the price we must pay for violating our honor and our word. Repaying a debt with dollars is often a small price to pay, if we can maintain our character and sense of self.
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