What is accountability/responsibility?

[yveskleinsky]

What does accountability/responsibility mean to you? What does it look like? ...I hear these words a lot and I think they mean very different things to different people. Thoughts?

 

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[imcmillionaire]

In my opinions they are the same thing. To be accountable also means to responsible. And to be responsible also means to be accountable. Its vise- verse.

Accountable is responsibility to someone or for some activity!
Responsible is a particular burden of obligation.

 

[yveskleinsky]

Okay...semantics aside, what ways are you accountable/responsible in your life? Does accountability/responsibility mean being reactive--meaning, paying your bills on time or are you proactive--scheduling checkups, changing your oil, keeping 3-6 months of savings in the bank? ...What does being accountable or responsible mean or not mean to you? ...I don't know if there are any right or wrong answers here, I just think it's interesting to see how people define and apply these concepts in their life.

 

[Gymjunkie]

Responsibility is one of the most important things in life. Esp.. if you want to succeed in life and not be average Joe.. You must see that you can influence world, that you are not a victim of circumstances even though it's easy to live when you look at world in that way (it's always someone else's fault or it was just a bad luck.. etc.. won't go far with this)..

 

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[hatterasguy]

It means when you mess up, you fess up and take the punishment.

 

[GreenHouses]

In terms of my job as a sales person, it means taking ownership of my results, my forecasts and my deals. It means making and keeping promises. It means if something doesn't quite go to plan or there's problem, that I take ownership of the situation.

In terms of our personal finances it means I'm responsible for the results I'm getting and for the decisions I make. With my investment decisions it means I do due diligence.

It means no shifting of blame.

Those are a couple of things that come to mind.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I believe accountability is to take RESPONSIBILITY -- to OWN UP -- to every decision you make. Typically, every decision you make has ramifications and if poor consequences arise from those decisions, it is easier to blame an external entity instead of yourself.

For example, while in Chicago this weekend my GF and I went to the Museum of Natural History. It was $60 for the both of us. While getting the tickets, she was nagging in my ear that we weren't not going to like the museum (a lot of stuffed birds, non-interactive displays) and to lets leave and save the money. Being a typical TypeA, I rebutted her suggestion and paid the $60 and we walked into the museum. After getting lost in the museum for 20 minutes, I realized she was right. We both hated the place. It was boring. It was like a rat maze through a picture book.

After I few "I told yous", we left. I paid $60 to walk through a museum for 20 minutes. She suggested that I go back and try to get a refund. I said "No, it is my fault and I must reap the consequences. You warned me and I didn't listen. It isn't the museum's fault. IT IS MINE". To me, this is accountability. To me, this is taking responsibility. I made a poor choice.

Another example is Steve McNair. His death is tragic but underneath it all, it IS his fault because his poor decision to cheat on his wife is what lead to the situation. Steve McNair would be ALIVE today if he didn't actively choose to cheat on his wife. Poor decisions lead to poor results even though sometimes, they don't directly manifest themselves into consequences immediately.

 

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[wildambitions]

Being the detail person that I am... I of course went to the dictionary for my response...

Responsible is an adjective that applies to anyone who is in charge of an endeavor or to whom a duty has been delegated, and who is subject to penalty or blame in case of default responsible for getting everyone out of the building in the event of a fire).

Accountable is more positive than responsible or answerable, suggesting that something has been entrusted to someone who will be called to account for how that trust has been carried out she was directly accountable to the department head for the funds that had been allocated to her group).

And to define for the purpose of the original question:
For me, I strive to take the responsibility to be accountable for myself and to others.

MJ's post nailed it.

I believe accountability is to take RESPONSIBILITY -- to OWN UP -- to every decision you make.

and to expand...

It means when you mess up, you fess up and take the punishment.

I strive in everything I do, and every choice I make... to face every consequence, good or bad... accept it, learn, move on. The more success I have with this, I have learned the faster I grow toward becoming the person that I want to be.

It is very easy to place blame in other places and on other people. What is difficult is to ignore others fault to focus on accepting our own.

 

[AroundTheWorld]

What does accountability/responsibility mean to you?

It means you never play victim.

When things go wrong: You never look to the outside world to blaim or look for an excuse. When things go wrong in your life situation, you know that it is because of a decision you made. You accept it. And you work to change it.

When you want something in your life to change or be different: You never look to the outside world or wait for that change to somehow happen to to you. Instead, you create that change.

Does accountability/responsibility mean being reactive--meaning, paying your bills on time or are you proactive--scheduling checkups, changing your oil, keeping 3-6 months of savings in the bank?

Well, I think it is both. The more proactive we are in our lives, the less reactive we have to be. However, sometimes we do have to react to a situation. We are reactive when something bad happens - - and proactive to make things better.

But, I also think that being responsible is more than simply not being a victim, and more than taking ownership of our own life situations. Being responsible also has to do with our role in the world, and our values.

Say, for example the commitment you made was in line with your values at the time, but something happens and your values have changed. Now, to keep the commitment would mean you must go against your values. What do you do?

If you make a commitment to someone else, must you keep that commitment? Questions of value will come into play. Do you value your integrity? Do you recognize how your life and your decisions will impact the other people around you? Is there ever a time that it is more responsible to break that commitment than to continue to keep it?

Also it doesn't have to be an either / or. Is there something in the middle that could work?

These are questions that will be deeply personal to each individual, and not only a sense of responsibility but the values of that person will come into play.

 

[yveskleinsky]

To me responsibility is a byproduct of accountability--it's a 50/50 sum game.

If a person is only responsible, meaning willing to take the heat, but did nothing to put out or avoid the smouldering fire (being accountable) then to me they are only accepting 50% of their part of their actions.

This is what chaps my hide. This is the problem I see with America--people either take 50% ownership of their actions or none at all.

(My definitions)

Accountable= being proactive by making good decisions
Responsible= being reactive by owning the consequences of one's actions

What absolutely kills me is when people make the same piss poor choice multiple times but then claim to be responsible. It's easy to be "responsible" when responsible to them means just walking away. I've seen single parents who pledge to be "responsible" for their wild oats they've sown, only to occassionally send a check in the mail. I've seen people walk away from homes claiming to be "responsible" for their actions, only to buy another home they can't afford. I've seen people being "responsible" for the actions their drinking and driving caused only to do it again!

Here's my thing, I am SICK and TIRED of people being "RESPONSIBLE"! I want people to be ACCOUNTABLE. People need to think before they act. Own their choices BEFORE THEY MAKE THEM. I am okay with people making mistakes--but friggin own that you made a mistake--and LEARN from it--that's what true accountability and responsibility really is all about. </rant>

 

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[AroundTheWorld]

Here's my thing, I am SICK and TIRED of people being "RESPONSIBLE"! I want people to be ACCOUNTABLE. People need to think before they act. Own their choices BEFORE THEY MAKE THEM. I am okay with people making mistakes--but friggin own that you made a mistake--and LEARN from it--that's what true accountability and responsibility really is all about. </rant>

Steven Covey writes a lot about being proactive. He talks about putting your "tasks" into 4 different quadrants - - - but he also says that the more time you spend on proactive tasks, the less time you will have to spend being reactive to the "urgent" items sucking away your time and energy.

At the heart of it, is this problem you describe simply a matter of learning the difference between being proactive and reactive.... and the value of pro activity.

Or... is there more to it than that?

 

[Russ H]

Yves, from my semantic viewpoint, I don't consider being responsible a "sometime" thing--if you buy a house you can't afford, how can you be responsible for making the payments?

If you have a kid and aren't there to raise them, that's not "responsible" in my book.

But I totally see the distinction you're making-- and I'll come back to this thread later to post thots (runnin out the door . . )

-Russ H.

 

[yveskleinsky]

But, I also think that being responsible is more than simply not being a victim, and more than taking ownership of our own life situations. Being responsible also has to do with our role in the world, and our values.

Say, for example the commitment you made was in line with your values at the time, but something happens and your values have changed. Now, to keep the commitment would mean you must go against your values. What do you do?

I suppose in a nutshell it boils down to being proactive. If you are going to take on financial burdens (trying to keep it simple here), then you have an obligation to think ahead and have a plan B if (and when) a financial misstep happens. There is a different between trying to do the right thing and having some money in the bank to cover you, and having no funds in the bank and thinking nothing will ever go wrong. If you try planning to make sure your obligations are covered and it turns out that you are still in the hole, then you can't honor your commitment--but you at least tried. It's the planning/trying part that is the proactive part. (I'm on cold medicine here--does any of that make sense? lol)

 

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[yveskleinsky]

Yves, from my semantic viewpoint, I don't consider being responsible a "sometime" thing--if you buy a house you can't afford, how can you be responsible for making the payments?

If you have a kid and aren't there to raise them, that's not "responsible" in my book.

But I totally see the distinction you're making-- and I'll come back to this thread later to post thots (runnin out the door . . )

-Russ H.

Point #1 about the house--then what's the plan? If you can't make the payments, then whose fault is that?

Point #2 about kids: I completely agree.