Reclaiming Accountability: Beyond the Buzzword
5 keys to reclaiming effective accountability processes
Video killed the radio star.
Streaming killed cable.
And corporate jargon has absolutely dulled the meaning of “accountability”. As is with “performance”, “metrics”, and “culture” (don’t get me started on “DEI”).
For years now, the lack of accountability at the highest levels of our society has eroded our trust and confidence in its original concept. The result is that we disproportionately overuse these terms, and in the process they’ve lost their intention and meaning. Instead of leading to effective outcomes, there is a cultural shift towards blaming and shaming as a form of accountability, rather than focusing on learning and growth.
As a team leader and coach, it sends chills up my spine when I encounter “accountability” as a buzzword.
“What does accountability look like for you?”
“How do you want to be held accountable?”
or even worse
“How do you want me to hold you accountable?”
Enough, I’m calling it. Accountability isn’t about shame and blame — it deserves to be revived through an effective pursuit of change and outcomes.
So, how can we reclaim our use of “accountability” that injects peace of mind?
Redefining Accountability
We have a tendency to use the term “accountability” as a buzzword or catchphrase without really understanding its implications. In many cases, people use the term simply because it sounds good or because it is associated with positive outcomes, without really thinking about what it means in practice or how to implement it effectively.
Most of us conflate the terms “accountability” and “responsibility”.
In fact, the word ‘accountability’ doesn’t even exist in some languages which limits its usage and erodes its intention with adjacent terms, most commonly ‘responsibility’. For example, there is no Hebrew word for ‘accountability’, so Hebrew speakers are left only with achrayut (אחריות), which is just plain old ‘responsibility’. Those two things are not the same.
How can we successfully accomplish a responsibility if we don’t have the proper language to express what it means to do so?
So this endeavor to redefine and reclaim it starts with…
KEY #1: ACCOUNTABILITY IS A PROCESS, NOT A VERB
Both empirical research and AI / GPT will bring up a slew of terms and traits associated with accountability: responsibility, trust, ownership, commitment, goals, expectations, transparency, and on and on.
To truly understand accountability, we need to look at the underlying psychological and social norms that play into it — and eventually lead us to our desired outcomes.
I believe that effective accountability can only be intrinsic — it ultimately starts and ends with me (or you).
Therefore, it’s a process that we practice, over and over again, day after day, that leads to positive changes and desired outcomes.
KEY #2: FOUNDATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Maslow would say that accountability can be seen as a means of meeting esteem needs and achieving self-actualization. When individuals are held accountable for their actions, they are more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment and recognition, which motivates us to improve our behavior and achieve our goals, and gain relatedness through belonging and connection.
If so, then accountability starts intrinsically with us. No amount of performance measures or “accountability buddies” are ultimately responsible for our individual actions.
I am not responsible for you, you are not responsible for me. In workplace culture, accountability measures are tied to individual and collective belonging to the culture and mission. Even in coaching, accountability rests on the individual believing that they are able and willing to change — not the coach’s advice or spreadsheet accountability trackers.
This all depends on our internal locus of control — our individual agency.
So the basis of accountability starts with:
- Our psychological safety needs being met. Psychological safety to be vulnerable, accept responsibility, own the problem and the solution, and take ownership of the process to achieve results.
- Vulnerability > shame. A safe environment that embraces human flaws and fosters growth — instead of shaming and guilting — creates an openness for us to own our actions and feel trusting in one’s ability to change outcomes.
- Clarity and alignment of personal values. As humans, we think that our ego is driven by what others think of us. That’s absolutely bogus. Any people-pleaser will tell you that connection to our authentic self unlocks all of our personal characteristics and values.
“Accountability is the death of the ego — Cy Wakeman
KEY #3: RESPONSIBILITY IS INDIVIDUAL, ACCOUNTABILITY IS RELATIONAL
Taking personal responsibility is an individual act — nobody other than myself can own the problem and solution.
True accountability aligns with the essential mindset of a coach — believing in another’s ability to grow and excel. When we truly hold this belief, we hold others as “able” while they hold themselves accountable.
By Frances Shuster
But accountability happens relationally: our success and failure hang in the balance of our relationship with commitment to make a change.
Want accountability in weight loss? Own the problem, and then the accountability depends on your relationship with body image, diet and nutrition, and forming new habits that lead to fat loss.
You say you want accountability in achieving your career goals? Achieve clarity on your desired career path, and then the accountability depends on how you respond to rejection, your relationship with skill building (hard work), and competencies in managing the various aspects of navigating the workplace.
This is also why we think accountability is a shared process — when we have somebody else to relate to in our process, we can navigate it with the support and encouragement of another person. Which doesn’t make the process easier, it just simplifies the relationship involved. There is now another human being(s) present, and our shame has been publicly declared, which provides us with a template for social norms and expectations.
Now, we’ve set the foundation to build a functioning process that can complete the full cycle and achieve an intended outcome. Next step is:
KEY #4: TRANSPARENCY & COMMUNICATION
Now that we have claimed ownership of the problem and solution, the rest of the accountability process rests on an ability to clearly, effectively, and explicitly communicate in a transparent and confidence-building manner.
Being open to transparent communication begins with explicit expectations and goals. SMART goals are a good place to start — specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.
Transparently communicating clear goals and explicit expectations make it easier to outline the remainder of the process, by either reverse-engineering or laddering the progress. Setting specific deadlines, expectations for iterations, and quality of the desired outcomes — all help us not just reach the finish line, but do so with higher quality.
Transparent communication also requires open and honest feedback loops that focus on the quality of progress and degree of achievement.
“Accountability breeds response-ability.” — Tony Robbins
Key to the process of accountability is our individual response. Our ability to respond to goals and expectations, clearly and transparently, first to ourselves and then to others — is a game changer. Respond > react.
Mama Brené Brown has repeatedly taught us that vulnerability is the most powerful antidote to shame. When we own our mistakes and are willing to engage in discomfort, we create opportunities for change. We’re less likely to engage in a process that ridicules us, makes us feel lousy, or is set up for us to fail. That just breeds a fear of failure.
Whether in direct performance reviews or by gauging progress on our own, the key here is to hyper-focus on the quality of the effort vs. reward, learn from mistakes through constant iteration, in safe and supportive environments without fear of shame or humiliation.
But… there’s always a but. The next step is all based on what does/not happen if progress is not being made.
#5: REWARDS & CONSEQUENCES
We humans live according to rewards and consequences — our brains are in survival mode guiding us towards safety or away from distress.
If we want real change to happen, then accountability requires setting rewards & consequences for actions and outcomes — both positive and negative. The accountability process exponentially succeeds when behavior is safely modeled and emulated, successes are celebrated and rewarded, and consequences for shortcomings are clearly outlined.
Remember the essentials of positive reinforcement: confidence begets competence.
Rewards > punishments.
Whether self- or other-imposed, incentives at every stage of the accountability process are essential to progress, confidence, and achievement of outcomes.
And if you’re thinking that this all adds up to perspective and storytelling, you’re right.
Because the last key to this process is:
BONUS: OWNING THE NARRATIVE
Commitment and conviction in our ability to achieve our desired outcomes ultimately empowers us with more agency and confidence through rewards and recognition.
When take responsibility for our mistakes, clearly understand the problem, and can follow the process for effective accountability — we can better control our perspectives and truly own the narrative of our accountability process.
Again, Mama Brené has injected our understanding of narrative in accountability, focusing on the importance of building trust and connection:
“When we own our stories… we get to give meaning to the events in our lives. And when we accept accountability for our actions and mistakes, we get to write the ending to our story.” — Brené Brown
Owning our narrative leads to a higher sense of fulfillment in our actions and forward progress, is essential to raising our upper threshold of resilience, and fosters integrity that promotes growth.
More fulfillment and resilience = more esteem = more confidence = accomplishment = positive change = on and on and on
If we expect somebody to own their actions and outcomes from a place of intrinsic motivation, then they are more likely to feel a sense of accomplishment and recognition, which boosts self-esteem and confidence. Confidence leads to fulfillment, which increases our accomplishments, reinforces our integrity — which feeds that esteem loops on the path of self actualization.
TL:DR
THIS is how we reclaim “accountability” and empower it to serve us towards our desired outcomes. When individuals, leaders, and organizations properly understand its underlying psychological and behavioral implications, our society benefits from a nuanced and thoughtful approach to accountability, cultivating a culture of growth that promotes ownership and agency towards progress.
Now, that’s real change.
