8 Examples of Personal Accountability

Picture of By Darren Finkelstein
By Darren Finkelstein

The Accountability Guy®

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Accountability is the act of taking ownership of your actions and results. Essentially, it is doing what you say you will do. It involves maintaining your commitments and deadlines with dedication. Being personally accountable makes you reliable and a trustworthy person in an organisation.

You might be wondering how to demonstrate personal accountability, isn’t it? This blog will enlighten you about personal accountability and show you eight ways to demonstrate personal accountability in an organisation.

While reading the blog, it is essential to know that accountability and responsibility are different. You might be responsible for completing a task. However, you need to be accountable to complete it within the set deadlines. Moreover, you might need to demonstrate accountability even if you were not responsible for the task.

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What is Personal Accountability?

Personal accountability is something that comes from within you. When you display personal accountability, you show the true mark of a leader.

It is your ability and willingness to bear the consequences o0f your behaviour, actions, and choices. Irrespective of whether you are responsible for a task, you need to be accountable for it if you are a team leader.

Personal accountability is owning your situation irrespective of whether the results are good or bad. It is the act of ensuring you don’t play the blame game and merely own up to your role.

Personal accountability is beneficial in organisations and life. It helps in the following ways:

  • It builds trustworthiness
  • It helps in getting things done
  • You can set SMART goals when you are accountable
  • You can foster healthy relationships
  • It makes you reliable and dependable
  • Your work ethic is appreciated, and you get more promotion opportunities

Personal accountability may be challenging to accomplish, but it is necessary and beneficial to organisations and society.

Eight Examples of Personal Accountability

Now that you know what personal accountability is, here are eight examples or ways of demonstrating personal accountability:

Be clear about Your Roles

One of the foremost examples of personal accountability is being clear about your role in various situations. It is knowing what is expected of you and acting accordingly. It is also about setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals. It is committing to your goals and breaking them into workable chunks.

Display Honesty

Honesty is another example of personal accountability. To demonstrate personal accountability, you need to be honest about your capabilities and skills. You also need to be honest about your mistakes and role in the results. It helps you build integrity and trustworthiness.

Understand your Limits

Knowing and understanding your limits is an example of personal accountability as it shows that you know when to say no. This is a crucial skill to ensure you don’t drop the ball on any of your projects. You need to be mindful of your schedules and take on only those tasks which you can manage with the highest quality of work.

Manage your Time Well

You need to learn to manage your time well to demonstrate personal accountability. This means knowing what tasks are important or urgent. It also means understanding what needs immediate attention to ensure you get it done within deadlines. It is also knowing what to delegate, delay and delete from your to-do list.

Know Your Accountabilities

Another example of personal accountability is knowing what you are accountable for and to who you are accountable. It understands your goals and responsibilities accurately. You need to know who you need to report to and be accountable to them appropriately.

Before you commit to anything and anyone, ensure you know the details completely so that you can be held accountable correctly.

Ensure You are Adaptable

Being personally accountable is also about being adaptable to change. It is the ability to accept constructive criticism and apply the feedback you have gained. It is being able to handle unmitigated circumstances with confidence and a calm mind. When you are adaptable and open to change, you’ll find it easier to solve problems and think on your feet.

Apologise Quickly

When you feel like you’ve made a mistake, apologise quickly. It is an excellent practice to apologise for errors and take rectifying actions. While you need to be alert and solve the errors quickly, remember that you can take the aid of your team, managers, and other members of the organisation.

Avoid The Blame Game

The most important example of personal accountability is to avoid the blame game. When there’s a bad outcome for whatever reason, avoid blaming your team or anyone else. Instead, examine your actions and your role and take rectifying steps. This will show your integrity and reliability.

Endnotes

Personal Accountability enables you to go a long way in the organisation and life. It helps you demonstrate your ability to do, delegate, and delay tasks appropriately according to priorities. Personal accountability ensures you know what is expected of you. It ensures that you take ownership of your actions and choices.

You demonstrate personal accountability by gaining clarity on your roles, understanding your limits, ensuring adaptability, avoiding the blame game, and managing your time well. These eight examples of personal accountability make you trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. It makes you a leader who isn’t afraid of consequences and can provide confidence to the team.

So, learn the eight examples of personal accountability or consult accountability coaches from TickThoseBoxes and climb the ladder of success.